A new project to make the city of Albany’s drinking water safer is under way.
Mayor Kathy Sheehan says $12.9 million in state and federal funding will be used to replace 2,500 of the city’s remaining lead service lines, the small pipes connecting homes to water mains.
Speaking in front of a city Water Department crew digging into a lawn on Tryon Place Tuesday, the Democrat says the city’s doing its part to shoulder some of the costs.
“Many of those lead lines are owned by the homeowner. The homeowner is responsible for from the main to the home, and so that has put a burden on homeowners and their ability to be able to replace these lead lines,” Sheehan said.
The measure is part of a $100 million grant initiative from Governor Kathy Hochul to expedite lead line replacement statewide.
State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald warns lead is a well-known neurotoxin.
“It harms children's ability to learn. It's an invisible threat in many ways, because the damage occurs, you don't even see it. It's a threat to anyone who's giving birth as well, you know. And it's really one of those things; there's no health benefit to lead. It's been toxic. We've known about it for a long time,” McDonald said.
His brother is Assemblyman John McDonald, a Democrat from the 108th District and practicing pharmacist who says the state’s clean water infrastructure grant program was created when he and fellow Assemblyman Steve Otis, also a Democrat and former mayor, approached Speaker Carl Heastie in 2015.
“As a local government official, it's difficult to get your boards and your councils to buy in on investing on something people will never see and probably never really fully appreciate, and that's why it's so critical,” McDonald said.
Local homeowners are also enthusiastic about the replacements. David Picchione has lived down the street from the home whose line was replaced for 35 years.
“The house I live in, my wife's grandfather built, and to my knowledge, everything at that time was led so have the city come in and just sort of do this and look out your window and see it done and say, you know, I haven't gotten a bill, at least not yet. It's wonderful to see some positive progress, especially in these tumultuous times,” Picchione said.
He says he’s glad the risks of lead are better understood now.
“Lead was an issue in peeling paint. It wasn't an issue in water lines. And our kids have come and grown and obviously, as time has gone on, we've become more aware of the leaching of lead into the water system. So I think it's great for those who will follow us in this neighborhood,” Picchione said.
Albany Water Department Commissioner Joe Coffey encourages people concerned about lead to do a home water test. If it comes back at or above 10 to 15 parts per billion of lead, the department steps in.
“We're going to replace those lines. We have filters. So in other words, if somebody does half the service, if you once you disrupt a lead water service, you run the risk of having, you know, kind of lead kind of stay there for a while. So we provide water filters for people that they can use to for drinking water and cooking,” Coffey said.
The city also offers grant funding for homeowners to cover up to $2,000 of the full replacement cost through the Lead Service Replacement Program if they choose to have the replacement done themselves.
A map of lead service lines is available here.
