City, SWL&P Reach Lead Pipe Replacement Agreement

SUPERIOR, Wis. – There is good news tonight for homeowners who have lead service lines.

After the city of Superior and Superior Water, Light and Power reached a contractual deal, Governor Tony Evers signed the Senate bill into law, allowing the funding to come to Superior.

“The federal funding will now flow through the utility, and the city has committed to whatever that federal funding doesn’t cover, that the City will offset the cost so that no customer has to pay to replace their lead line out of pocket,” said Joscelyn Skandel, director of regulatory compliance for Superior Water, Light and Power.

The agreement enables SWL&P to access the federal Safe Drinking Water Loan Program funds, covering 75% of the project costs, with the City of Superior covering the remaining 25%.

“I think that, you know, the citizens of Superior have seen this process play out. There’s been back and forth between the utility and the city of superior on the best way to get this done, and I think they’ll just be excited that we’ve come together, and now they’ve put their trust in Superior Water Light, and Power to get this lead issue taken care of,” said Skandel.

Superior Mayor Jim Paine is pleased with the agreement and says it ensures the City will oversee the customer side of the program.

“Replacements have already begun,” said Paine. “We this summer, all of our road construction projects, we are removing, for free, all of the lead lines along those road construction projects, because that’s East Fifth and Hammond Avenue. Now, for the next construction season, we’re going to do almost half of all the remaining residential lead lines.”

Together, the city and SWL&P plan to replace more than 800 customer-owned lead service lines across the city; however, there may be homes that have yet to be identified.

“If you’re not sure whether or not you have a lead line, you should go on to Superior Water, Light Power’s website, find the locator tool,” said Paine. “It’s right there on the home page, and look at that map, and look at your house, and if it says unknown, reach out to the utility and sign up to get tested.”

Getting your service line tested is free, takes around 10 minutes, and makes it easy to find out if you have a lead line.