Prioritizing drinking water safety for its residents, the City of Dearborn Heights is locating its lead water service lines throughout the community for future replacement. The 2018 Lead and Copper Rule of the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act requires municipal water systems to find and replace leaded pipes that connect water mains to individual homes and buildings within 20 years. Additionally, a Distribution System Materials Inventory (DSMI) of existing lead lines was required to be sent to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) by January 1, 2020. As City Engineer, Wade Trim has been providing design and construction engineering services for the City’s water main replacement program for the past 40 years. The focus on lead water service lines required review of historical documents to create a citywide program that will serve as a template for line replacement.

Scouring years of water main replacement program records, Wade Trim assisted the City’s Public Works Department in pinpointing lead line locations, delivering its DSMI to the state, and planning replacements in segments. Tasks for the program, which began in mid-2020, include quantity estimates, contract administration, and contractor oversight. The contractor is responsible for coordinating with each homeowner to remove the lead line from the City’s water main to the water meter inside the home and replace it with 1-inch copper pipe. The water meter is then attached to the new pipe and any structural repairs are completed. Dearborn Heights’ ongoing lead service line replacement program has replaced more than 450 lead lines to date.

Information on the City’s lead testing efforts can be found on their website.