Windham, CT: Lead Service Line Replacement
February 2024 - Present
Considering physical barriers to LSL replacement
Community Description
The drinking water utility Windham Water Works serves over 20,000 people in Windham, CT. Drawing its water from the Willimantic Reservoir, the utility has been serving its customers since 1936.
Project Scope
Windham Water Works requested technical assistance via EPA’s WaterTA portal to complete a lead service line (LSL) inventory, create a replacement plan for service lines requiring replacement, and ultimately assist with any necessary administrative support in the submission of these plans to the Connecticut Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
Services Provided
EPIC provided both direct administrative and managerial services, as well as procuring and contracting with professional engineering services to create the LSL replacement plan. Engineering designs included specifications for future contractors to complete the removal and replacement of 334 lead and 11 galvanized requiring replacement service lines. When EPIC was invited to provide assistance to Windham, it became clear that the talented utility staff had completed a majority of the required LSL inventory and was ready to start on drafting the replacement plan. Working in collaboration with the engineering firm, the project team determined the remaining steps to finalize the inventory before the federal deadline. The utility staff reached out to the community in varied and creative ways to gather all of the necessary service line information. Once the inventory was successfully submitted, the team turned its attention to creating a replacement plan to submit for public funding. These designs included specifications for how lines would be replaced in various scenarios including sidewalks, historic retaining walls, beloved trees, and gardens. It was also important to create a schedule of replacement considering vulnerable populations, the weather-defined work period, and the cost of replacement per line. Windham applied to the state Drinking Water State Revolving Fund in early 2025 for $4.5 million and will likely receive funding to replace all lead lines in the city.
Challenges and Opportunities
| Type of Challenge | Project Experience | Outcomes and/or Opportunities |
|---|---|---|
| Technical | GIS data and mapping programs were not widely used by all staff. | The LSL inventory provided a hands-on opportunity to put the GIS data generated by the project to use. |
| Financial | Other high-priority capital improvement projects were occurring simultaneously, including distribution system replacement and meter replacements. This meant that funding for outside consultancies was not available to take advantage of LSLR DWSRF funds and provide the necessary administrative and engineering support. | Windham qualifies for a higher percentage of principal forgiveness in the state SRF because it is identified as a disadvantaged community. Regularly investigate special set-aside funding for future capital projects specifically for disadvantaged communities. |
| Labor/Workforce | Staff is very competent and had aligned project workflow to tackling other high priority state funded projects, including distribution system improvements and meter replacements. Staff had reached capacity to manage contractors and consultants through both the creation of and submittal of engineering designs for LSLR. | The opportunity for funding in a narrow window often is omitted from long-range planning, and CIPs are rarely adjusted accordingly. Future capital planning may consider one-time funding and be adjusted by local elected officials and executive management. |
Project Next Steps
Windham Water Works will likely receive the requested $4.5 million in funding with 49% principal forgiveness to replace all lead and galvanized requiring replacement of private and utility-owned service lines. The staff will continue working with the community to ensure lead- filtering water pitchers are distributed at the right time and the community stays informed on the status of replacement. Because there are so many lines and the window of work is relatively short, it will take several years to complete the full replacement. The LSL replacement prioritization will help guide the schedule.