Kenosha, Wis., will be the first city in the state of Wisconsin to utilize funding for lead service-line-projects.
The city has hired 120WaterAudit to implement the program for the Kenosha Water Utility. According to a 120WaterAudit news release, the company will assist in overcoming the issue of information management. This impedes communities from addressing lead as a public-health issue.
According to the release, 120WaterAudit’s Public Water System Platform will streamline lead-service-line replacement using geographic, demographic and customer data that is crucial to pinpoint properties that need to be addressed and are critical to ensuring the city’s investment of funding and manpower meets regulatory compliance. The company will enable the utility to better manage its lead service-line inventory.
“Kenosha is a perfect example of a city digging in to tackle this problem, which is prevalent in so many communities across the United States,” said Megan Glover, chief executive officer for 120WaterAudit, in the release. “One of the hurdles to address the problem is finding funding, and the Kenosha team have diligently managed that hurdle – to the benefit of current and future residents.”
Kenosha Water Utility is using the Wisconsin Leading-on-Lead Act to fund the project, according to the release. This fund provides water utilities with the authority to establish a financial assistance program to help customers replace their private lead service lines. Financial assistance is recouped through utility rates.
“We’re honored to be the first city in Wisconsin to utilize this new funding mechanism,” said Ed St. Peter, general manager at Kenosha Water Utility, in the release. “To some it may have just been another piece of legislation, but as a water utility this allows us to completely fulfill our mission to provide and protect Kenosha's greatest natural resource - WATER!!”
120WaterAudit will be exhibiting at the Midwest Water & Wastewater Operator Expo 2019 on Feb. 5-6 to showcase the software platform Kenosha will utilize.
More information on the Wisconsin Leading on Lead Act can be found here.