City of Columbus: lead and galvanized water service lines to be replaced at no cost during scheduled construction

Anderson Bridal, a staff member with the City of Columbus lead service line replacement program, told attendees at a Blueprint Columbus kickoff that the city will replace lead and galvanized water service lines on both the public and private sides during scheduled construction at no out-of-pocket cost to property owners.

"This replacement is happening for free," Bridal said, explaining that the program is a federally driven effort to upgrade aging water service infrastructure and that many lines in the city are 75 to 100 years old. Because private-side service lines run from a home's meter into the building, Bridal said crews will sometimes need access to the interior of homes during scheduled work.

Bridal urged residents in affected blocks to sign a work agreement to enroll in the program and to use the interactive map provided via the meeting QR code to check whether their address is in an active or upcoming project area. He directed attendees to columbus.gov/new line for the work agreement and to columbus.gov/led survey to help the city identify the type of water service line serving a property by submitting a few pictures.

The program will coordinate replacements with other city projects—roadway improvements, water-main replacements and Blueprint digging—so the city can replace service lines efficiently while crews are already excavating. Bridal noted that some streets scheduled for pavers may not expose the water line during installation (an example cited was Lynwood), in which case replacement is planned for a future project when the water line is exposed.

Bridal said canvassers are knocking on doors in the project area, and that residents will receive mail, texts and emails with information. "If you guys have any questions, Hannah and I are gonna be back there to help answer anything that's specific to your property," he said, inviting residents to the post‑presentation tables for one-on-one assistance.

Carroll closed the presentation by reiterating that the lead replacements and Blueprint work are coordinated and at no additional cost to homeowners when done during scheduled construction.