The City of Lockport approved funding to remove the last of its lead water service lines by the end of the year.

At its May 20 meeting, the City Council voted unanimously to approve a contract with Superior Excavating Co. for lead pipe replacement.

There are only about 60 service lines remaining in the city that use lead or galvanized piping and must be replaced, said Director of Public Works and Engineering Brian Lovering

There are over 11,000 properties tapped into the city’s water system total.

The approved contract, which will cost the city $828,740, will cover the replacement of all those remaining lines. This amount is below the city’s approved budget for the project, which was estimated at $852,000.

The price of the work includes not only replacing the water lines, but also replacing and repairing sidewalks and landscaping that must be removed in the process, according to the bid documents.

Lovering noted that the city is working to coordinate with the property owners at about a dozen locations to coordinate times when the work can be completed, and that the city expected all of the work to be finished by the end of this year.

The complete replacement of all lead and galvanized water service lines by the end of the year, will put the city over a decade ahead of the deadline set by the Environmental Protection Agency that requires all such service lines to be replaced by 2037.

“This proactive investment underscores the city’s commitment to providing residents with safe, reliable drinking water and maintaining high standards for public health and infrastructure,” Lovering said in his report.