Watuppa Water Board approves $100,000 contract amendment to keep lead line replacements moving

The Watuppa Water Board approved a $100,000 change order on Jan. 27 to Woodward and Curran to continue the city’s lead service line replacement work.

Administrator Mister Furlan told board members the department is under an administrative compliance framework with the state and has a target to replace 700 lead service lines by the end of the calendar year. He said the department currently has about 200 lines under contract and roughly 50 more identified since that contract was issued.

Furlan said a federal earmark for Fall River of $1,092,000 was included in recent legislation and could offset part of the program’s costs, but that staff estimates roughly $3,000,000 more will be required to reach the board’s replacement goal. He warned that if external funding is not fully executed or available in perpetuity, property owners could face replacement costs if the city can no longer cover work from the curb stop into homes.

"These are federal funds. They are not coming from the user fees," Jim Terrio said, urging residents to take advantage of the program while funding remains available. Board members discussed potential policy options, including a surcharge for properties that continuously fail to schedule inspections after repeated outreach, and noted that municipalities sometimes require homeowners to cover the cost from curb stop to house when program funding ends.

The board voted to approve the $100,000 change order. Staff said the contractor is expected to begin work within weeks, weather permitting, and urged homeowners who received letters or door hangers to contact the water department to schedule inspections.

What happens next: The department will continue outreach to schedule inspections and implement contracted replacements; staff will report progress and funding status to the board at future meetings.