Greater Cincinnati Water Works has removed more than 10,000 lead service lines since 2018, a milestone the city announced Aug. 26.
About 30,000 lead lines remain across the GCWW service area. The utility must replace them all by 2037 under a federal mandate, and it is ramping up from roughly 1,500 replacements per year to 2,500.
Hyde Park residents have already seen crews on their streets. GCWW replaced approximately 200 lead lines in May and June on Griest Avenue, Linwood Avenue, Grace Avenue, Inglenook Place, Halpin Avenue, Utopia Place, Priscilla Lane, Niles Street and Willis Avenue, according to a Hyde Park Neighborhood Council meeting packet. An earlier project in 2024 targeted Erie Avenue, Madison Road, Stettinius Avenue and other nearby streets. All replacements were free to homeowners.
GCWW's Bridget Patton told the neighborhood council in June that the utility sometimes replaces lead lines independently of water main work.
The 10,000-line milestone also marks completion of a $500,000 Ohio EPA grant that paid to replace lead lines at more than 100 licensed child care facilities citywide, Local 12 reported.
Mayor Aftab Pureval said the work is long overdue. "Clean, safe drinking water is not a luxury," Pureval said at the Aug. 26 event. "It is a fundamental right, and today we are showing great progress in keeping that promise."
U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman, who represents much of Greater Cincinnati, attended the announcement. Landsman helped secure a nearly $1 million federal grant to replace lead lines in disadvantaged neighborhoods, according to WLWT. He said the achievement reflects ongoing leadership and investment in one of the country's best water systems.
Cincinnati City Council's fiscal year 2027 capital budget, passed in June, authorized $20 million from the Water Works Fund for continued private lead line replacement.
Residents can check whether their property still has a lead service line using GCWW's interactive map at gcww.maps.arcgis.com. Those with questions can call 513-651-LEAD (5323) or email [email protected].
