ROTHSCHILD, WI (WSAU) — There’s a new push to get lead water lines out of the Village of Rothschild, upsetting the community’s near-term infrastructure plans.
Administrator Ryan VanDeWalle says looming federal deadlines have caused them to move up some road projects that would otherwise get put off. “Even though [these deadlines] are years down the road, we have to start now. Some of these road projects might make you think ‘well, why are we doing this?’, it’s actually what’s occuring under ground. That’s why we are seeing roads get re-done that are maybe in better shape; they have poor utilities underneath them.”
Recent estimates show a few hundred lead service lines still in use, but public works officials have yet to pinpoint an exact number. Most of their efforts right now are focused on a water rate case study with the Public Works Commission, but once that wraps up later this year, VanDeWalle expects they’ll turn their focus to refining a plan to remove the lead pipes. “As more information comes out, we will continue to put it out [there]. But it is something that we are working through, and as more hard deadlines come out we will try to figure out how to [utilize] grants to work with residents. Because it’s not cheap to replace these lines,” said VanDeWalle.
“We are trying to figure out the best, [most] reasonable options we can do, different scenarios we can run by to give individuals choices,” he added.
The EPA’s latest mandate requires all lead service lines to be replaced by 2037, though some water systems could qualify for a deferred timeline due to extreme circumstances.
Other topics VanDeWalle discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- New development near Ceder Creek
5:00- Water rate case study
7:00- Military Road project and lead infrastructure replacement
12:00
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