A link to the USDA for additional information
Another helpful source
USDA RURAL DEVELOPMENT APPLICANT INFORMATION FACT SHEET 504 DIRECT SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING REPAIR LOAN/GRANT PROGRAM
https://www.rd.usda.gov/files/KS_504App.pdf
I spoke to a representative regarding the process to apply they provided above links for assistance . Encouraged anyone to reach out with questions.
There has been no further discussion from the village of their suggestion in November 2018 article;
“Many of our residents are on fixed incomes and can’t afford $3,000 to $4,000,” he said.
Lamica suggested the village consider a program offering the services of the village water department to replace the laterals. The cost to the homeowner would probably be $400 to $500, he said.
Some of the problems could be with the old pipes inside homes, Trustee Charles Lester pointed out.
“We can’t replumb somebody’s house,” he said.
Lamica agreed, but commented, “It would show we are doing what we can.”
A waiver would have to be drawn up for homeowners to sign to allow village employees to work on their properties.
The village has offered a similar program to help residents replace their sidewalks with the Department of Public Works installing the new blocks. Lester suggested the village look into the possibility of bringing in a private contractor to do the sidewalk work in the future because of the amount of time the DPW crew has had to spend on it. If the village continues the program as it has in the past, “Maybe we should scale it back a bit,” he said."
New York
Estimated 360,000 LSLs (AWWA Survey) of 3.6 million service lines by 2310 CWSs (SDWIS 7/2018)
Primary agency webpages: New York Department of Health (DOH)
In April 2017, through the state budget for fiscal year 2017-2018, Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature created an LSL replacement grant program and allocated $20 million to support it. The New York State DOH developed the Lead Service Line Replacement Program and is required to allocate the funds equitably among the regions of the state and within a region by 1) prioritizing municipalities with a high percentage of elevated blood lead levels, and 2) considering whether the community is low income and the number of LSLs in need of replacement. In November 2017, the Governor announced the municipal awardees of the funding; 26 municipalities were awarded a combined $20 million to facilitate the replacement of LSLs. The grant funds are used to replace residential LSLs from the main to the home, including the portion on private property. In July 2019, the Governor announced a second round of funding – 18 communities awarded a combined $10 million – as part of the state’s Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017
New York municipalities are eligible thanks to budgeting funds
NYSDOH SITE OFFERS INFORMATION:
According to NY State the cost of replacement is from$5,000.00 to $10,000.00for homeowners. In November 201 news article:
SEVERAL COMMUNITIES HAVE ALREADY BENEFITED
Grants awarded to Amsterdam, Johnstown for lead pipe replacement
AMSTERDAM & JOHNSTOWN -- The state Department of Health has awarded the cities of Amsterdam and Johnstown each $521,785 grants to help pay for the replacement of lead service lines supplying residential drinking water.
The money is part of $10 million awarded to 18 municipalities in New York state in July. The state also spent $10 million on the lead service line replacement program last year, all of the funding coming from the $2.5 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017.
Unlike many lead pipe removal programs, this one pays the entire cost of replacing a lead service line feeding water into a private residence, without cost to the homeowner.
The rules of the Lead Service Line Replacement program allow each municipality to decide which homeowners can tap into the funds. The money can be used to either reimburse private contractors hired by homeowners, with contracts approved by the state, or to reimburse the municipality for costs incurred to its Department of Public Works. Eligible expenses include engineering plans for removal of the pipes, as well as construction costs. The state estimates the cost to replace most residential lines will be $5,000 to $10,000 per lead service line. Each municipality will be responsible for contacting homeowners to confirm the presence of a lead service line, full or partial, and whether or not the homeowner is interested in having it replaced.
According to the Department of Health, the state uses three main criteria to decide which municipalities would get funding: percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels; median household income; and the number of houses built before 1939.
Randy Gardinier, Amsterdam's water treatment plant chief operator, said Amsterdam has been under an administrative order from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency since 2017 to sample lead in water from more homes that have a lead service line connected to the city's main water lines.
Gardinier said in the past Amsterdam had been sampling too much from homes with copper service lines. He said upping the percentage of water tested from lead pipes meant he had to go to the city Assessor's Office and map out homes by the decade in which they were built, starting with 1880 to 1890.
"We sent out hundreds of letters," he said.
Gardinier said his department was able to identify enough water lines, about 75, feeding homes built between 1910 to 1920 to comply with the EPA order.
"Once we had enough we didn't need to keep looking," he said.
Gardinier said the EPA required Amsterdam to test water from 60 such homes, which in September showed that water from nine of the homes had more lead than the 15 parts per billion allowed by federal regulations.
He said Mayor Michael Villa has made replacement of lead lines in the area between Church Street and Clizbe Avenue a priority. Gardinier said he sent out letters to 85 homes and several businesses in that area. If residents want their lines checked the city will do it.
"We're going to replace those lines first," he said. "So far we've only identified two locations along Church Street. We may have some of our people go door to door."
Cherylann Saul, who has been active in lobbying the city to begin the $1.9 million reconstruction project for Church Street, said she received a letter from the city about the lead pipe grant. She said she's concerned many homeowners won't be able to determine if they have lead plumbing.
"A few of us have had our hard pipes checked and some of us, like myself, have copper to the house, but that doesn't mean that there isn't lead pipe connections or like a 'mishmash' under the street," she said. "They're going to have to dig up the street too and then inspect every pipe under the road to do a thorough job as to where all the lead pieces are or piping."
According to the state Department of Health, the easiest way to test if a water service line might contain lead is via a “scratch test.”
"After locating where the water service line enters the building, typically in a basement or near a water meter, identify a test area on the pipe between the point where it enters the building and the inlet valve before the water meter. Using the flat edge of a screwdriver, gently scratch the outside of the pipe. If the scratched area is shiny and silver, it is likely a lead service line, a magnet will not stick to lead pipe," reads a DOH advisory. "If the scratched area is copper in color, like a penny, the service line is copper, a magnet will not stick to copper pipe. If the scratched area remains a dull gray color, and a magnet sticks to the surface, the service line is galvanized steel."
Gardinier said Amsterdam has spent $40,000 to hire M.J. Engineering and its subcontractor Blue Leaf Inc. to study the chemicals the city uses to treat its water to see if a less corrosive option might available. He said the city may switch to using soda ash as part of a corrosion control optimization program aimed at reducing lead in the city's drinking water. He said after the recent grant money is exhausted he will need to identify more lead service lines to maintain the 60 needed to comply with the EPA order.
George DiMarco, a member of Johnstown's independently elected Water Board, said he doesn't know why Johnstown was selected for the state grant.
"We don't have elevated lead levels in our water. Amsterdam did, Gloversville did, we did not," he said.
DiMarco said Johnstown has replaced lead service lines with copper for years whenever they were discovered. He said the Water Board will let residents in the city know that they money is available.
"I'm sure we'll let people know, but a lot of people don't even want to go through this. I'm not sure how this will affect the homeowners," he said.
The Lead Service Line Replacement program gives municipalities two years to spend the grant money.
George DiMarco, a member of Johnstown's independently elected Water Board, said he doesn't know why Johnstown was selected for the state grant.
"We don't have elevated lead levels in our water. Amsterdam did, Gloversville did, we did not," he said.
DiMarco said Johnstown has replaced lead service lines with copper for years whenever they were discovered. He said the Water Board will let residents in the city know that they money is available.
"I'm sure we'll let people know, but a lot of people don't even want to go through this. I'm not sure how this will affect the homeowners," he said.
The Lead Service Line Replacement program gives municipalities two years to spend the grant money.
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