• As part of the Lead Reduction Program, Denver Water has developed a comprehensive inventory showing the location of known and suspected lead service lines in our service area using property records, water tests and visual inspection of service lines. 
• Denver Water is using this inventory and a sophisticated model, both of which are constantly being updated with new information, to guide decisions about where to look for lead service lines and the timing of replacing these lines. Each fall, Denver Water will use the model to identify proposed work areas for the following year. 
   

The model determines replacement areas based on several factors, including:

• The likelihood that lead service lines are in a given area. 
• How many properties in a given area are identified as either having or likely to have lead service lines.
• Identification of the presence of health impacts associated with lead (e.g., elevated blood lead levels).
• The potential to coordinate replacement work with other efforts to minimize or avoid multiple disruptions to the same community.
• Census information and other studies that can be used to identify areas where the population is at higher risk for negative health consequences from potential lead exposure (e.g., children and expecting families, median income below the federal poverty level, etc.).

• In addition to replacing lead service lines in these neighborhoods, Denver Water is deploying crews to replace lead service lines at critical facilities, including schools, day care centers and other locations, and continue the work needed to expand and improve the location inventory.
• You can find this year’s work areas at denverwater.org/Pipes. Denver Water also has a partial reimbursement program available for customers who choose to replace their service line sooner.

• By the fall of each year, Denver Water plans to have identified work areas for the following year. Several factors drive when and where service lines are replaced. Denver Water prioritizes communities who are most vulnerable and at-risk from lead exposure, particularly infants and children. Areas with large numbers of facilities that serve these populations, such as schools and day care centers, are prioritized. Other determining factors include areas with the highest concentration of lead service lines, underserved neighborhoods and coordination with other known construction activity.
• Once work areas are identified, Denver Water will determine the timing for individual properties in that work area. Once a property has been identified for a service line replacement, Denver Water will send additional information about the replacement process and next steps. This notification typically comes a month or two before the anticipated replacement date.
• Outside of the Lead Reduction Program, Denver Water will also replace any customer-owned lead service line with a copper water line, at no direct charge to the customer, when discovered during a water main replacement project.

Denver Water is replacing lead service lines on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis, factoring in those who are most vulnerable and at-risk from lead exposure, underserved areas and planned construction activities. Visit denverwater.org/Pipes.

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• Denver Water will send an initial letter to inform you that your property has been identified for an upcoming lead service line replacement. This letter will include a consent form to sign, which allows Denver Water crews to access your property and replace your service line.
• After we receive the signed consent form, an in-home visit will be scheduled for you, Denver Water and the contractor to review the replacement process in detail and set a date and time for the work to take place. Most service lines can be replaced within four to eight hours. An adult over the age of 18 must be present during the replacement work, since crews will need to inspect the service line connection inside your home. 
• Following replacement, Denver Water will restore the exterior landscaping to a level surface and provide reseeding of grass, generally within a four-month time frame.
• Approximately four months after your replacement, you will be offered a water test kit to verify that lead levels have been reduced. Denver Water encourages you to use your filter for six months after the service line replacement and flush your water (run cold water from the kitchen or bathroom faucet for five minutes after not using water in the home for a few hours).

• To minimize disturbances as much as possible, Denver Water’s contractors and crews are deploying a trenchless technology to replace lead service lines wherever this method is feasible. This method only requires two excavations: one in the street connected to the Denver Water water main and a second around your water meter pit. Water meters may be located inside or outside of your property. Both excavation sites will be restored upon completion of the lead service line replacement. During the pre-construction meeting at your home, the team will walk through the specific plan for your property and any associated impacts.
• After replacement, crews will restore to original ground surface elevation and either install sod or reseed grass in areas affected by the replacement work. Beyond grass sod/seed installation, Denver Water is not responsible for restoration of any exterior landscaping or hardscapes that are disturbed as part of the replacement. This includes items such as steps, patios, retaining walls, specialty or tinted concrete, structures of any type, plants or special vegetation (bushes, flowers, bulbs, vegetables, etc.). 

• Denver Water will conduct an investigation before removing any property from the program. We complete investigations to gather additional information and data so that we are confident in removing a property from the program. The investigation may consist of a water quality test, additional analysis of available records, interior inspections of the pipe in the home and/or exterior inspection of the pipe between the home and the main delivery pipe in the street. Once we have completed our investigation process and are able to confirm whether you should be included in the program, we will send you a letter of the results.
• If the full service line is copper, it is still possible for lead-containing household fixtures and plumbing to elevate lead levels in your water. Learn more about sources of lead in drinking water. The water provided by Denver Water to homes and businesses is lead-free, but lead can get into the water as it moves through lead-containing household fixtures, plumbing and water service lines — the pipe that brings water into the home from the main in the street — that are owned by the customer.