Cincinnati Offering Free Replacement of Lead Service Lines to Older Homes

Historic or antique – those are words I love when describing architectural features of a home…not when describing their infrastructure. As we enter a new year, the historic and antiquated water lines of the homes in Hamilton County have come into the forefront of our attention in part due to the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and in part to the vote last week where Cincinnati City Council voted unanimously to authorize Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW) to pay 100% of the cost of replacing private lead service lines (LSLs) that bring drinking water to customers’ homes and other buildings.

A 2016 survey of water systems conducted by the American Water Works Association showed that Ohio has the second-highest number of lead service pipes in the country. GCWW is working to replace as many of those service lines as possible in its service area of Cincinnati, parts of Hamilton County, and Mason, and time is of the essence for you to sign up for this program.

I spoke with Dan Schlueter, the Lead Customer Assistance Program Administrator for GCWW and he confirmed as of right now, the agency can handle about 1,200 replacements per year. As of this week, there are about 300 customers in the queue already signed up for GCWW to replace their lead service lines.

Lead program manager Leslie Moening says “Cincinnati has of the leading lead programs in the country and we are leading the way in lead service line replacements,” she said. “And we hope that removing this obstacle of affordability that more people will join our program,” Moening says there aren’t resources in terms of funds and manpower to do all houses at once. Water Works officials say more than 39,000 homes are fed with lead pipes from the street, with many of those only on private property but some also in public areas. Most are in older neighborhoods built in the early 1900s. Owners are asked to follow this link to sign up online or call (513) 651-LEAD (5323) for more information on the lead replacement program.

Please note the webpage will ask you to “REQUEST A QUOTE”, but Dan Schlueter let me know the website has not yet been updated to reflect the new change in policy to offer this service free of charge. Please submit your request today to help your family have a safer, healthier home.

If you have any questions regarding this process, please call me. 513-708-1600. For any other real estate needs, please feel free to reach out to me.