Tackling the Unknown: How AmeriCorps Helped Lancaster Navigate LSL Inventory Challenges
By Christina Petagna and Erica Galante-Johnson
Like many water systems across the nation, the City of Lancaster faced significant challenges in completing its lead service line inventory to meet the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) deadline. However, thanks to an innovative partnership with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), Lancaster was able to make significant progress towards completing its inventory. This is the first lead service line project AmeriCorps NCCC has undertaken, making it a trailblazing effort.
Service lines are the pipes that carry water from the main into the home, and are frequently split into two portions based on ownership of the line: 1) a public side, owned by the water utility, and 2) a private side, owned by the homeowner. Identifying the private side of the line is what poses a significant challenge for utilities, as it requires access to the home to visually inspect the line.
AmeriCorps NCCC volunteers were able to visually inspect over a thousand service lines over the course of one month by going door-to-door and engaging directly with residents (i.e., door-knocking). Additional service lines were identified from people who self-reported their service line using the door-hanger instructions left by the Americorps NCCC teams.
Addressing a Critical Need in Lancaster
Lancaster had approximately 28,000 to 32,000 unknown private-side service lines for which verification remained a hurdle, despite best efforts to encourage customer self-reporting. The city did not have the workforce or resources to review submitted pictures for accuracy or to conduct widespread field inspections.
Lancaster first applied for State Revolving Funds (SRFs) through PENNVEST to help pay for lead service line inventories, but was only offered a 50/50 grant-loan package. However, like many other resource-constrained communities, taking on more debt simply wasn’t feasible. And with upcoming treatment projects needed to meet PFAS regulations, additional loans would only add to the financial strain on the water system.
A Creative Solution: Partnering with AmeriCorps
Recognizing the need for additional support, City of Lancaster’s Water Department collaborated with EPIC’s Funding Navigator to apply for assistance through the AmeriCorps NCCC program. This program aims to address critical community needs while simultaneously providing skill development opportunities for young people seeking to make a tangible difference. Lancaster initially sought an eight-week deployment, but was awarded a four-week term instead.
The objective was simple, but ambitious: deploy a team to go door-to-door, conducting surveys and inspections or leaving door-hangers with instructions for self-reporting. During this period, a six-member team of young volunteers, divided into teams of two, canvassed neighborhoods across multiple municipalities. Their results over these four weeks were impressive:
Doors knocked: 6,013
Inspections completed: 1,366
Lead lines identified: 17
Galvanized lines identified: 8
Plastic lines identified: 2
The Impact: What the AmeriCorps Team Accomplished
This initiative proved to be an effective, low-cost solution to help understaffed or under-resourced water systems advance service line inventory projects. To put things into perspective, paying a six-person team at Pennsylvania’s minimum wage for this work would have cost the city nearly $7,000. The only costs associated with an Americorps team are housing costs for the team, which can include low-cost options such as community centers, churches, or college campuses with available dormitory space. In addition to cost savings, this initiative introduced young people to the water sector in a meaningful, hands-on way, paving the way for future careers in the sector.
Given the initiative’s success, Lancaster had planned to seek continued support through AmeriCorps. Unfortunately, recent federal cuts to the program will impact this valuable source of support for under-resourced communities tackling lead exposure in drinking water. Nonetheless, the extensive collaboration between EPIC and the City of Lancaster to structure the application helped lay the groundwork for a model that can be easily adapted to leverage similar programs to help other communities facing similar infrastructure challenges.
Additionally, State SRF administrators can help support similar service-based youth development programs by making use of set-aside funds. To learn more about how states can support inventory projects with set-aside funding, read our blog.
A Model for Other Communities
Lancaster’s AmeriCorps initiative demonstrates a scalable and affordable strategy for water utilities to identify remaining unknown service lines and complete their inventories. Such efforts will not only help under-resourced water systems comply with federal regulations, but they will also foster workforce development by exposing young people to careers in water management.
The success in Lancaster shows the value of investing in innovative, service-based approaches to water infrastructure challenges, making a strong case for restoring and expanding funding for programs like AmeriCorps NCCC to support lead service line replacement.
By tapping into workforce development programs similar to AmeriCorps NCCC, communities can bridge staffing gaps, accelerate lead service line identification, and ultimately work toward safer drinking water for all.