Letters are starting to get sent to homeowners, letting them know if water runs through lead pipes. 

It’s part of the Minnesota Department of Health’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program — an effort with the goal of getting rid of all lead service lines in the state by 2033. 

Lead service lines are pipes connecting the main water to your home, and according to the state, there are still thousands of Minnesota homes with them. 

Recently, all community water service teams were tasked with checking for lead service lines and then sharing that information with the MDH. Now, there’s an interactive map highlighting that information — allowing users to check their home’s status and explore other parts of the state. 

“I believe we’re the only state that is publishing information like that,” said Corey Mathison, principal engineer with MDH, who is helping to lead this effort. “We received 99.9% of the inventories across the state, so that was fantastic,” Mathisen added about the communities sharing information. 

“There’s additional exploration that will be needed in the near coming years, but it’s a great first step,” Mathisen said. 

Some of the replacement work is already underway, including in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth, according to MDH.

“[Letters] will be going out in the next couple weeks to Minneapolis residents as well,” Annika Bankston, the city’s director for water treatment and distribution, said. 

“We’ve done a lot of good work in our treatment and water distribution processes to control that [lead] exposure,” Bankston said. 

Exploring the state’s interactive map shows many properties with lead service lines in Minneapolis. For now, thanks to state and federal dollars, the replacement work does not cost the homeowner. 

“We’re actually wrapping up our first project to do so in a relatively small area, but learning lots about how to deliver these projects,” Bankston said.