Racine starts $130 million lead service line replacement project

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The city of Racine broke ground on its first construction season last week to replace 10,000 lead pipes over the next five years.

On May 20, the city and Community Infrastructure Partners started a $130 million citywide project to replace lead service lines bringing drinking water into local homes. The EquiFlow Lead-Free Racine Program will complete 1,000 replacements this year and gain momentum over the next several years with the help of state and federal funding, according to the city.

Lead in drinking water can irreparably harm children and adults, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Lead is a highly toxic metal and can disrupt brain development in children, kidney function in adults and interfere with the body’s ability to produce red blood cells that carry oxygen.

The program is expected to complete around 4,000 replacements during the 2026-2027 construction season, city officials said.

EquiFlow Racine and Racine Works will partner with the Laborers’ International Union of North America and launch the EquiFlow Racine Workforce Program and train individuals for construction careers specializing in lead service line replacement. With LIUNA and other local trade unions, the program will hire and train Racine residents for the job, officials added.

Around 10,000 homes in Racine are served by lead pipes, city officials said. In 1986, the federal government banned the use of lead pipes to carry water into homes.

“I’m proud to say we got one of the biggest grants in the state of Wisconsin to be able to do this work,” said Racine Mayor Cory Mason in a statement. “There is no cost to the homeowner. In other communities, that is a major barrier. We aggressively raised funds from the federal and state governments to make sure that is not the case because we want participation.”

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is administering the program, according to the project website. The EPA is also partially funding replacements.

In 2024, the EPA released the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements rule, requiring drinking water systems across the U.S. to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years.

“Racine decided to lead, and lead aggressively,” said Shawn Kerachsky, president and CEO of CIP, in a statement. “There’s a window of opportunity here that is real, but it’s also finite. Racine moved early, they moved smart, and they moved aggressively. History will look very kindly upon the decisions that Racine, Mayor Mason, and the Water Utility made.”

Alongside the ruling, the EPA said it would use money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the agency’s Water Infrastructure Improvements program to fund grants and revolving loan funds that provide billions for lead pipe replacement projects, according to a 2024 federal fact sheet.

More than $26 billion was allocated through BIL for lead service replacements over five years, EPA officials added.

Racine expects to replace more than 100,000 linear feet of aging water mains, city officials said.

CIP is leading the work and will only get paid when lines are replaced instead of logging hours or invoicing, officials added.

The firm will only replace lead service lines with the consent of homeowners, working with Domina Consulting to host community events and show residents the replacement process. Residents will need to sign a right of entry form to allow crews on private property.

Racine will track lead pipe replacement with an interactive map.