INDIANAPOLIS — The city of Indianapolis is taking another step toward making sure residents have clean water.
The Indianapolis Department of Public Works is working with Citizens Energy Group to replace lead pipelines near downtown.
Citizens Energy Group will replace service lines that contain lead ahead of planned road construction on New York and Michigan streets. The city's construction project will convert the streets from a one-way to two-way streets, but first, there will be an upgrade in the water service line.
The collaboration will make it easier to do upgrades to the water lines in neighborhoods that need it the most.
This project is a part of the Lead Service Line Replacement Program that began in 2022. The focus is largely on older homes around the city.
Officials say the city's water does not have lead, but some of the older service lines connecting the water mains to homes and businesses may.
"If they were built before 1950, that lead service line could be made of lead or include lead component," said Ben Easley, a spokesperson for Citizens Energy Group. "So it's very important to get that replaced, and the surest method of limiting exposure to lead is by full replacement."
In 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency set new rules that require lead pipes be replaced over the next decade. This project helps address that.
Work is expected to begin in the coming weeks.