Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Quality topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City to use $500,000 grant to remove lead water services; staff says work will be done in‑house
Summary
The water department told the finance committee the city will use a $500,000 state grant (split $250,000 materials, $250,000 wages) to remove known lead service lines in identified locations, with crews performing the work in‑house and an inventory of candidate services already prepared.
City water officials told the Youngstown finance committee on April 15 that the city will use a recently awarded $500,000 grant to remove lead service lines from the distribution system.
"We have to eliminate all the lead services in our distribution system by 2037," the water department representative said, and explained the city is approaching the work through a combination of large loans for area projects and grant funds for targeted removals. Staff said roughly $250,000 of the grant proceeds will buy materials and $250,000 will pay wages for city crews who will perform the replacements in‑house.
Officials said testing and replacement are separate: the city tracks locations where testing or past water breaks identified lead, maintains a list of those services and will prioritize removals outside of larger loan‑funded projects. The water quality lead said the department has a list of tracked locations and intends to use this grant to remove the services at those addresses.
Council members asked whether the grant is a matching award or a standalone fund; staff clarified it is specific funding for replacements rather than a match. The department noted that earlier testing programs remain a separate budgetary line and will continue.
Next steps: Staff will proceed with procurement and in‑house work to use the grant funds before the award period expires; committee advanced the item for further consideration.
