Washington County executive highlights lead service-line replacements and road repaving partnership in West Bend

Washington County Executive Josh Schulman visited 3rd Avenue in West Bend to highlight a county effort that pairs lead service-line replacements with street repaving projects.

Schulman said the county has partnered with local municipalities to replace lead laterals — the pipes that run from the water main to homes — while coordinating repaving to reduce disruption and share costs. "To get those replaced is pretty expensive," he said, noting an estimated cost of "$10 to $20,000 depending on the home." He added, "We've got another $15 to $20,000,000 in projects to do."

The initiative targets older neighborhoods where homes often have vintage plumbing and where replacing pipes improves water quality for residents, according to Schulman. He listed municipalities that have received county grants for this shared-service work: the Village of Slinger, the Village of Kewaskum, the City of Hartford and the City of West Bend. Schulman said the county has spent "a couple million dollars" on lateral replacement in recent years and emphasized the partnership model as a way to stretch public dollars and limit repeated street disruption.

Schulman framed the program as both a public-health and infrastructure effort. He reminded viewers that lead in older homes can come from paint or plumbing and that replacing service lines addresses one pathway for exposure. The repaving work is presented as a co-benefit: when a lateral replacement requires cutting a street, coordinated repaving leaves neighborhoods with improved roads as well as safer water service lines.

The executive closed by thanking municipal partners and inviting residents to follow WASHCO Weekly for updates. No formal votes or legislative actions were recorded in this segment; Schulman presented the activity as an ongoing county program and partnership with local municipalities.