Affected residents in Minneapolis should expect a letter from the city any day now about work to replace lead water infrastructure as part of an estimated $1 billion statewide project to replace all lead water service lines in the next decade.

The Lead Service Line Replacement Program is headed up by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) using federal and state funding.

Inventories of community water systems statewide found an estimated 100,000 lead service lines in Minnesota, according to an MDH dashboard, and state officials plan to replace them all by 2033.

Work is underway in at least Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth so far, according to MDH.

“This week, residents who have either a lead water service line, a galvanized water service line requiring replacement or a water service line of unknown material will be receiving a letter from the City,” read a press release from the City of Minneapolis late last week.

Rick Fors, a homeowner in Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood, said he had not received a letter from the city as of Sunday, but he should be soon considering the city’s interactive lead service line map shows his home is serviced by a lead line.

“There’s nothing good about lead,” Fors said. “It’s an inexpensive line to be able to put down and now we’re addressing that problem 30, 40, 50 years later.”

In its news release, Minneapolis officials said there are more than 40,000 affected properties citywide, and they’re prioritizing replacements in “lower-income” and “disadvantaged communities,” and in “areas with children with elevated blood lead levels.”

“We try and filter our water,” Fors said. “It would be nice to have a main supply where you don’t have to be concerned with forever chemicals and lead and other contaminants that we’re now assuming are in our supply.”

The city noted that property owner consent is required to begin each replacement since water service lines in Minneapolis belong to the property owner. The incoming letter should include what is essentially a permission form that the city “strongly encourage(s)” residents to “complete, sign, and return.”

“Hopefully pushing forward with trying to be able to get some resolution to a longstanding problem we realize isn’t good for anybody,” Fors said.

The city also noted it does proactive “corrosion control,” so even where there are lead pipes, lead should not be leaching into the water supply.

The news release also listed some additional precautionary measures affected residents can take, including using cold water for cooking and drinking, running the water for a few minutes before using it and using a lead-reducing filter or pitcher.

Free at-home test kits are also available by request at this link.