| Population: | 311,5491 |
| Project length: | Three years |
| Project scope: | 24,000 lead service lines replaced2 |
| Cost: | $195 million, about $8,000 per line |
Newark used a fully centralized approach for an LSL replacement program. After repeated findings of elevated lead levels as early as 2017, city officials began a full LSL replacement program with an ambitious goal of replacing 24,000 lines in less than three years. The project was successfully completed in February 2022.
To lower coordination challenges related to consent, in 2019 the Newark City Council passed an ordinance to make it mandatory for property owners to sign up for the program. It also enabled the city workers to enter a property even if the owner did not sign up for the program.3 This replaced a prior, short-lived program that relied on a voluntary participation approach and that would charge property owners $1,000 to replace their side of the LSL.
In 2019 the City of Newark also centralized its funding approach and pulled in private sector investors. The city secured $120 million in municipal debt financing through the Essex County Improvement Authority, which allowed them to fund both the water system side and property owner side of LSL replacement. This financing also allowed Newark to implement the program at a faster pace than originally planned—down from eight years to three years. To repay the debt, the city tapped a revenue stream from a reworked lease agreement with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.4
Notes
1 U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Newark city, New Jersey.
2 Newark Completes Lead Service Line Replacement Program - CDM Smith.
3 News: Newark’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program is a Model for the Nation (newarknj.gov).
4 News: Newark’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program is a Model for the Nation (newarknj.gov).
