Jake May | MLive.com

Flint's 2017 lead service line plan

The details of Flint's lead service line replacement plan for 2017 are detailed in a March 8 filing with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

The estimated timeline for construction is April until October, and 6,000 residential homes have been identified for service line replacement in 10 different zones.

Residents will be notified if their home has been targeted for service line removal and replacement and told of an approximate date when construction will occur at their home, Flint's plan says.

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Where the work will be done

Work is planned in 10 zones in Flint, and the city's plan says officials expect 22 service line replacements will be completed in each zone per week.

Each of the 10 zones has 600 replacements planned.

"These zones were selected to be replaced first based on several factors, including the concentration of known lead and galvanized water service lines, active water accounts, the population density of children and the elderly, and the amount of lead in the water as determined by testing," the plan says.

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Flint Journal file photo

What to expect

The city's plan for service line replacements says the average job will consist of excavating, installing pipe from the curb stop to the water main, installing pipe from the curb stop to the home, connecting the water meter, installing a new curb stop with fittings and curb box, curb cut, and testing and flushing to ensure that the new line is operational.

Contractors or city staff will backfill trenches and complete restoration at job sites.

If the service line is replaced by an open-cut method, existing pipe will be removed from the ground and materials recycled, according to the city's plan. In some cases where a trenchless replacement can be performed, the existing service line will be disconnected and remain buried in place.

The city says in some cases, construction workers will have to enter homes to test water or connect the new line to the water meters.

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MLive.com file photo

Taking precautions

State officials say Flint's water system is currently meeting federal Lead and Copper Rule action level requirements, but there is a chance lead scale will be dislodged from transmission pipes as service lines are replaced.

If scale is dislodged, individual households could see spikes in lead levels in water, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others.

"As a precaution, the state will continue to provide filter cartridges due to the ongoing lead service line replacement program," the city's plan says. "Even after a home has its service line replaced, continued use of a filter is recommended until city and state officials confirm it is safe to use unfiltered drinking and cooking water."

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Project costs

The 2017 service line replacement program is estimated to cost up to $40 million depending on bids.

The total includes an estimated cost of $5,000 per home to cover the service line removal and restoration of the area.

Funding for the program is coming from the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, which was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in late 2016.

Because federal funds are being used for the project, the service line replacements "will not impact the water rates," according to the city's plan.

"Additional funding may be secured for eligible homes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Children's Health Insurance Program. CHIP covers lead abatement in Medicaid-eligible homes," the plan says, and an estimated 1,400 homes are eligible for that funding.

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Flint Journal file photo

In case of something unexpected

A review by the State Historic Preservation Officer noted that several early Native American sites have been recorded in Flint, including burial grounds and cemeteries like the one discovered in Carriage Town, just west and north of downtown in 2008.

The city's plan says the likelihood of inadvertently disturbing human remains during the service line replacements is low, but the city has a protocol from the state archaeologist "that will be followed in the event of the discovery of human remains."

"This process will include stopping work on the site, reporting the discovery to the state archaeologist, notifying local law enforcement, obtaining a permit for disinterment from the local Department of Health or by court order, and an examination of the remains performed by a physical anthropologist ..."