Englewood reports progress on lead removal: 1,119 service lines replaced, program on track and funded by federal grant

Englewood staff gave a detailed update on the citywide lead service line removal program, reporting that crews have verified 3,876 service lines and replaced 1,119 to date. Staff said the program remains on budget and ahead on key milestones, with verification expected citywide by the end of 2025 and program completion anticipated by the end of 2026.

Peter (utility staff) and Sarah (program manager) described the program team and timeline. They said the program launched outreach in August 2023 and began field construction in July 2024 after inventory, verification and ordinance changes. A bipartisan infrastructure law grant of $10 million plus other financing was included in the funding package; staff said the program budget is $40 million and as of July about $11.7 million (roughly 30%) has been spent on replacement work, insertion valves and program management.

Staff described a significant additional work component added earlier this year: insertion valves. The city approved and funded 91 insertion valves — equipment that can be installed on pressurized pipes to provide better isolation and reduce outage footprints when crews work on mains. Sarah said the valves cost about $3.4 million in total and were added through an SRF (State Revolving Fund) loan amendment; staff reported that adding insertion valves required coordination with the state but improved the city’s ability to control outages down to small areas rather than larger shutdowns.

Program metrics presented to the board included 3,884 points of customer contact (62% positive, 35% neutral, 3% negative) and 22 public events, including eight community meetings and ten neighborhood nights. Staff said they have completed 1,000+ replacements and estimated the total number of replacements for the entire city at about 2,700 based on modeling.

Sarah described an unanticipated data issue on Broadway where county construction dates sometimes reflect later redevelopment rather than original construction; as a result, some properties classified as post‑1960 nevertheless connected to legacy lead lines. That discovery added roughly 20 additional replacements on Broadway and required short‑term schedule adjustments to finish Broadway replacements and paving. Staff said the Broadway work should be complete this week and permanent paving scheduled next week.

Staff described customer outreach and quality‑control work: potholing in the street at service connections to confirm whether a lead pipe exists; targeted potholing of a sample of post‑1960 homes showed no lead hits in that sample; and for customers who decline a full house‑side replacement staff will replace from the main to the curb stop (the city’s responsibility) and track the property for future replacement notifications at time of sale.

Board members and staff also discussed operational challenges arising from a small number of difficult meter replacements in the AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) program, and staff asked the board for guidance on balancing intensive staff time spent on individual disputes with broader program needs. Staff said they will proceed with a scheduled meter replacement and continue to seek board guidance on policy thresholds for exceptional cases.

The board heard compliments from residents for improved outreach and noted the program’s scale: staff said they have verified nearly 3,900 lines, replaced 1,119 and estimate about 2,700 replacements will be required citywide.