Lead service lines are like asbestos, they’re fine if they aren’t disturbed. A layer of minerals builds up on the inside. It’s still best practice to replace th

Lead service lines are like asbestos, they’re fine if they aren’t disturbed. A layer of minerals builds up on the inside. It’s still best practice to replace them, but excavation and plumbing for one house can be $15-20k. The city I live in is replacing lead service lines across the entire city and offers low interest financing for homeowners. Crucially, the water treatment chemistry needs to remain consistent. Changing the process is what caused the lead pipes in Flint to start leaching lead into the water. They changed water suppliers during a budgetary crisis. From the Wikipedia article: > In April 2014, during a financial crisis, state-appointed emergency manager Darnell Earley changed Flint's water source from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (sourced from Lake Huron and the Detroit River) to the Flint River.[7] Residents complained about the taste, smell, and appearance of the water. Officials failed to apply corrosion inhibitors to the water, which resulted in lead from aging pipes leaching into the water supply, exposing around 100,000 residents to elevated lead levels.[8] A pair of scientific studies confirmed that lead contamination was present in the water supply.[9][10] The city switched back to the Detroit water system on October 16, 2015.[11] It later signed a 30-year contract with the new Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) on November 22, 2017.[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_water_crisis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_water_crisis