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Kalamazoo reports 6,100 lead service-line replacements; plans 1,200 more in Edison next year
Summary
City staff told the Utility Policy Committee they have completed about 6,100 lead service-line replacements systemwide, with roughly 3,900 services remaining and plans to replace about 1,200 lines in the Edison neighborhood in 2026; the capital improvement plan will be part of the city budget hearings.
City utility staff told the Utility Policy Committee on Nov. 13 that work to replace lead service lines is progressing and that several related capital projects are moving through the approval process.
Staff reported approximately 6,100 lead service-line replacements completed as of Halloween, with a system total near 10,000 services and roughly 3,900 remaining. Next year the city intends to work again in the Edison neighborhood and replace about 1,200 service lines in that area before moving on to Vine and then southern neighborhoods such as those around Bronson Boulevard and Winchell.
The lead-service replacements are folded into the city’s capital improvement plan, which staff presented Nov. 7 to the planning commission and will be included in the city commission’s budget packet and formal hearings (anticipated in January). Staff said some downtown street reconstructions tied to convention-center and arena work — including Kalamazoo Avenue, Douglas Avenue and West Main — are scheduled for construction in 2026 and that arena opening is scheduled for 2027; utility coordination with the county and other jurisdictions is ongoing.
Members asked about sequencing and where lead services are concentrated; staff noted that some neighborhoods developed later and therefore had fewer lead services. Staff also outlined coordination with MDOT and county construction to reduce duplicate disruption.
Next steps: The capital improvement plan will be part of the city budget hearings; staff will continue project sequencing and community outreach as replacement work advances.
