More than two-thirds of Kalamazoo’s lead service lines have now been replaced, according to James Baker, the city’s director of public services. In a recent episode of the city’s Kalamazoo & You program, Baker provided an update on one of the city’s most significant ongoing public health and infrastructure projects, filmed on location in the Stewart neighborhood, where crews are currently working.
Where things stand
The city has surpassed 6,700 replacements out of an estimated 10,000 total lead service lines — roughly 67 percent complete. The project began in neighborhoods on the north and east sides of the city and has been moving steadily. Areas where work is fully complete include Eastwood, East Side, Parchment, North Side, and West Douglas.
Work is currently active in the Stewart and Edison neighborhoods. The Vine neighborhood is next in the queue. Baker says the city expects to complete all replacements in the early 2030s.
Why it matters
Lead pipes were standard in Kalamazoo from the late 1800s through 1949, when the city transitioned to copper. The material was favored at the time for its durability and flexibility in dense urban environments — it could be routed around other underground utilities in ways that other materials couldn’t.
The problem is well documented now: treated water leaving the city’s system contains no lead. But when that water passes through aging lead service lines on its way into a home, lead can leach into the water supply. There is no safe level of lead exposure, Baker notes — which is why full replacement, not treatment alone, is the goal.
Michigan’s 2018 Lead and Copper Rule requires communities statewide to replace lead service lines. Baker says Kalamazoo is ahead of most Michigan cities in its progress toward that requirement.
