By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Decatur’s Get The Lead Out project continues to move forward as the city’s board of works and safety, at its meeting Tuesday night in City Hall, was provided a finalized Scope of the Project report.
The project is designed to remove all lead service lines in the city and also replace numerous aging water mains.
In all, the project – mandated by the federal government to target lead service lines throughout the U.S. – will run to approximately $22 million, $17 million of that involving construction costs.
The original project called for the replacement of 323 lead service lines. However, the finalized project scope – presented by Ben Adams, engineer, and Chris Harrison, business development manager, both with Commonwealth Engineers – adds another 195 lead service lines for a total of 518.
A loan-grant agreement with Indiana’s State Revolving Fund SRO) calls for a $5.5 million grant (no payback) and an interest-free loan of $2.5 million for the city, along with a $10 million low-interest loan at 2.898% and a $3 million loan at a rate a little higher but still lower than through the open market.
And the loans may be spread out over a period of 35 years.
The project got its start with some field work, which is still ongoing, in August. A final design is scheduled to be ready in March, with a call for and receipt of bids in April or May.
The project brings with it an increase in city water rates.
A hike of $4.40 for minimum users is scheduled to take effect January 1. An additional $6.60 will be added later in 2026 for a total of $11 for the water line of a utility bill. The date of that rate boost has not yet been determined.
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