CLAREMONT, N.H. (WCAX) – Communities across the region are working to remove lead pipes that can cause serious health problems. That includes Claremont, New Hampshire‚ where a $2 million federal grant is helping a project now underway.
A section of road is ripped up in Claremont looking for a potential underground hazard, lead pipes, that can contaminate drinking water.
“We’ve got about 216 service lines and lead pipes identified, but that is known. Obviously, when you dig, you don’t know what you will find,” said Alex Gleeson, the director of the Claremont Public Works Department.
The city is getting more than $2 million for the water system upgrades and lead pipe removal. The money comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by President Biden in 2021. Friday, New Hampshire Senator Maggie Hassan, D-NH, toured the city and got an update on the lead removal projects. She was joined by David Cash from the Environmental Protection Agency.
“The estimate is 1.7 million lead services lines, those are the lines that go into people’s homes, all over the country and the President’s goal is to get them all replaced in the next ten years,” Cash said.
Hassan says like other infrastructure projects, including broadband expansion, it’s an investment in the future. But, she also says lead removal leads to peace of mind. “And the end result, we have cleaner and safer communities and homeowners know that the water line running up to the meter is safe,” she said.
Over the past several years, Claremont has already replaced lead pipes in about 100 homes. Public works officials say the federal funding is crucial. “It allows us to do the actual job. So if we’ve got matches, if we’ve got straight grants, every bit counts,” Gleeson said.
New Hampshire as a whole is getting more than $28 million for lead pipe removal projects. The work being done in Claremont is likely to take the next several years.