NJ DEP
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR – A new state mandate resulting from the problems in Newark and Flint, Michigan, will require Ventnor City to replace as many as 5,200 lead or galvanized steel water service lines over the next 10 years. Doing so will cost as much as $75 million, officials said.
On Thursday, Aug. 25, the Board of Commissioners introduced an ordinance that will provide a roadmap to getting the lines replaced and is a requirement for the city to apply for grant funds to help pay for replacing lead/galvanized steel service lines to 90% of the homes in Ventnor.
The ordinance requires homeowners to replace the service lines from the street to their homes and inside their homes at their own expense within 90 days of adoption.
“None of our mains are lead mains,” Commissioner of Public Works Lance Landgraf said.
The city automatically replaces connections in the streets whenever a new home is built or a homeowner requests it.
“This starts the process of homeowners looking at their issues, whether they know they replaced them already and they can tell us, or it’s a new home,” Landgraf said. “This is not something the City of Ventnor wanted to do, this is something we are being forced to do. We are pushing back at the state saying you mandated it, now you have to help us pay for it.”
The city has already applied for some funding, he said.
“We are ahead of the game in terms of our neighbors applying for the grant.” City Engineer Ed Stinson said. “There’s a limited amount of money out there. If we move this along, maybe we have a shot at getting grant money. Absent of grant money, I don’t know how we move forward to do this citywide.”
In July 2021, NJ Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation requiring municipalities to identify lead service lines and replace them by 2031 and proposed a $500 million bond to help pay for it. Cities that have ordinances to replace the lines will also be able to apply for some of the billions of dollars in federal funding made possible through the Biden Administration’s Infrastructure Bill, which provides $15 billion to states over the next five years.
The state has classified galvanized steel pipes in the same category as the flexible lead pipes used many decades ago because they leach lead into the water and could cause lead poisoning. Lead poisoning lowers IQ and can stunt child growth development. Homes built after 1987 do not have lead service lines.
According to the NJDEP website, “Galvanized service lines are steel pipes that have been dipped in a protective zinc coating to prevent corrosion and rust. Galvanized piping was commonly installed in homes built before 1960 and was used as an alternative to lead pipes for water supply lines. Galvanized lines that are or were downstream of a lead source such as a lead service line can contribute to lead in drinking water. They also can capture lead from upstream lead sources and release lead if water quality changes or these pipes are disturbed.”
Mayor Beth Holtzman said she had service lines from the street to her home replaced after damage from Hurricane Sandy. The lawn and sidewalk had to be dug up to do the job.
“It cost $5,000 10 years ago,” she said.
The ordinance gives residents 90 days after adoption to identify the service line has already been replaced or replace the lead service line at their own expense, providing the city with a contractor’s certification. Extensions to the timeline may be granted if the owner can demonstrate good faith effort has been made to replace them.
Or, the homeowner can sign up for the city to do it, but they must sign a “right of entry” form giving the city access to the property, and sign a liability waiver.
Proof of lead service line replacement will now be required to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy.
Chief Financial Officer Al Stanley said he believes the law is a “knee jerk reaction” to what happened in Flint, Michigan.
A public hearing on the new Ordinance 2022-016 will be held 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8.
Learn more at https://www.nj.gov/dep/lead/
Copyright Mediawize, LLC 2022
