99% of City of Benton Harbor water service lines replaced

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. - Ninety-nine percent of City of Benton Harbor water service lines have been inspected or replaced, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and other officials announced Wednesday. 

The replacement effort is nearly complete five months ahead of schedule, officials said.

Nearly 4,500 water service lines have been replaced or confirmed to not contain lead. Those that contained lead have been replaced with new copper lines.

Less than 40 inspections are left in the project.

"The Lead Line Replacement Project, started in October 2021, was planned to be completed in March 2023. The fact that we have not only replaced virtually all of the lead lines in the City of Benton Harbor but have finished the job ahead of schedule is a tremendous accomplishment,” said Ellis Mitchell, City of Benton Harbor City Manager. “A project of this magnitude could not have been accomplished without tremendous resources and support from every level of government. Thank you to all our partners who worked with us to get this critical work done."

Community members can stay up to date on progress through the project dashboard.

Nearly 2,800 out of 2,900 "Right of Access" Water Service Line Replacement Agreement forms have been completed by city residents.

If you have not filled out this form, you can find and submit it online. You can also submit it to Abonmarche, 95 West Main Street, Benton Harbor, MI 49022 or email it to Sandy Riehl at [email protected].