Centreville council approves application for $400,000 drinking‑water planning grant for lead/copper pipe replacement planning

The Centreville Town Council authorized staff Jan. 2 to apply for a $400,000 grant from the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund to support planning and early engineering work on lead and galvanized pipe replacement.

A town staff member presenting the grant memo explained Tanya, the regular grant writer, was absent and that the $400,000 request would fund planning, engineering and preliminary replacement planning required by state criteria. “The amount of the grant that we're applying for is $400,000 and that would be coming through the drinking water state revolving loan fund. And it's to start the planning and the replacement of what they consider lead pipes which also includes galvanized lines,” the staff member said.

The presentation said the state deadline of 2027 requires the town to have a plan in place by then; staff described the grant as the planning phase rather than funds to complete physical pipe replacement. “I know for a fact that 400,000 is not going to cover what it's going to cost to replace,” the presenter said, noting actual replacement funding would follow in later phases.

Council made and seconded a motion to allow staff to submit the application; the motion passed by voice vote. Council members asked about timing and whether financing and project execution might extend into 2026 or later; staff said the application process can be slow and that actual design and construction funding would come after planning and state decisions.

Staff said the grant will pay for preliminary engineering reports, bid processes for engineering firms and other state-required steps that precede replacement. The grant application will proceed with a council resolution if required by grant guidelines.