Getting to Yes: How Effective Engagement with Residents Can Ease Lead Service Line Replacement Challenges

Lead in drinking water is a significant public health concern, and addressing it requires the replacement of lead service lines, the most significant source of lead at the tap. However, implementing lead service line replacement (LSLR) programs involves challenges beyond the cost of pipe replacement. In an effort to get homeowners to agree to LSLR, utilities find themselves disseminating marketing material that often fails to effectively engage residents, address their concerns, and move forward with replacement. Improving marketing and public education strategies is one way to increase resident participation in LSLR programs and reduce the overall cost of LSLR.

Meeting EPA and State Requirements

Recent government actions to strengthen public health protections around lead-in-drinking water make expediting resident engagement critical. In December 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI). If passed, the improvements mean that most community water suppliers across the country will have to replace all their lead service lines over a period of 10 years. And in Illinois, the Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act requires community water suppliers to submit their final comprehensive plans for replacing lead service lines by 2027.

The Hidden Costs of Lead Service Line Replacement

A water service line is a pipe that delivers water from the water main in the street to a home or building. When this line is made of lead or galvanized material, it can be the largest source of lead in drinking water. Lead is a toxic metal that is harmful to human health, especially for children whose brain and nervous system is still developing.

When we think about the cost of replacing these lead pipes, the focus in news stories and conversations is often on the per-pipe costs for actual construction work:

• “City officials estimate that it will cost $15,000 to $26,000 to remove lead service lines from each home or two-flat in Chicago or $8.5 billion in all” (WTTW News).
• “Chicago must replace over 400K lead pipes, could cost up to $12 billion” (ABC News).

But what is often not included in this per-pipe replacement cost is the time, money, and effort it takes to gain resident permission and cooperation to perform lead service line replacement at their home.

Water infrastructure is often hidden underneath the ground. And for many residents, receiving a flyer about a LSLR program may be the first time they are learning about a lead service line and its harmful health effects. It can come as a surprise to many residents that the water they’ve consumed for years or even decades is at risk. For others, concerns about the impact of replacement activities to their yard, trees, and basement may serve as a barrier for moving forward.

Yet, gaining permission and cooperation from residents, and sometimes separately property owners, is often an essential part of operating a successful LSLR campaign. Utilities are required to obtain permission to operate on private property or to conduct the interior work necessary to make the connection to interior plumbing.  Even when laws grant more expansive rights of access, coordinating entry with the residents makes the process smoother for everyone and avoids conflict and bad will.

Gaining Resident Trust and Engagement

Encouraging residents to participate in LSLR efforts can be a time intensive lift. Elevate hosted interviews with over a dozen water utilities across the country where we learned that it takes some utilities between five and 20 points of contact before a resident agrees to LSLR. Elevate has experienced similar trends in our work to replace lead service lines at licensed child care facilities.
“We’re finding that large home improvement projects like lead service line replacement or solar installation often take many touches or points of contact before a resident agrees to move forward,” said Megan Thornton, Manager of Marketing at Elevate. “Taking part in a program like LSLR might feel like a large construction project or time commitment for residents, even when these services are offered for free or at a reduced cost. Clear messaging about how easy it is to replace the lines and the benefits can help ease their concerns.”

To improve and accelerate resident participation in LSLR, Elevate employs multiple strategies, including a multi-faceted marketing campaign (direct mail, postcards, social media posts, newsletters, door hangers etc.) and outreach to providers from trusted messengers. Elevate also speaks with child care providers directly about lead service line replacement to better address their questions and concerns. Our LSLR program design also includes the cost of restoration (interior and exterior) to alleviate resident concerns about the impact of LSLR to their property.

“Utilities need to understand what questions and concerns residents have about replacement and center this information in their outreach materials,” Thornton said. “Addressing these concerns up-front can greatly reduce the number of touches it takes to enroll a resident in a replacement program.”

How Do We Tackle Resident Engagement More Efficiently?

By implementing effective marketing and outreach tactics, and improving program design, the water sector can accelerate resident participation in LSLR, meaning fewer residents and children will be exposed to this toxic metal in their drinking water. Acceleration of resident engagement will also help reduce overall LSLR costs.

While more understanding and research is needed to improve resident participation in LSLR programs, here are some tactics we encourage the entire water sector to explore:

• Listen to residents to understand their concerns with LSLR. Before beginning LSLR efforts, it’s important to ask residents about their questions and concerns with LSLR to improve marketing and educational efforts, as well as the design of a LSLR program. You may learn that restoration is a top concern for residents and that this needs to be addressed in program design and talking points.
• Share success stories and challenges. Elevate recently released our “Tapping into Success” report, which shares marketing tips and best practices from over a dozen water utilities nationwide to gain resident participation in LSLR. The water sector must continue to speak with communities about what is working and what is not working so that we all know how to improve our marketing and replacement efforts.
• Create resources for all communities to use. The water sector needs to craft comprehensive toolkits that include template materials for direct mail pieces, door hangers, bill inserts, and more. There is no reason that thousands of water utilities across the country need to create this content on their own. Developing a customizable toolkit, adaptable to the unique requirements and languages of various communities, will help our collective efforts in spreading awareness about the importance of LSLR.
• Technical Assistance. Many Technical Assistance (TA) programs are popping up nationwide to support communities in their replacement efforts. The water sector needs to ensure these programs include communication and outreach best practices training. In Illinois, the Cook County TAP program and the Illinois Section of the American Water Works Association (AWWA) have both hosted sessions on this topic.
• Ensure Funding Supports a Comprehensive Replacement Program. As more funding comes online for lead service line replacement, it is important funds cover the full cost of replacement for a resident, including the full lead line as well as restoration on the inside and outside of the home. Many residents cannot afford the cost of replacement or the restoration that follows. An equitable replacement program should cover these costs to ensure that all community members can benefit. Additionally, water utilities need funding to support the outreach and education activities associated with LSLR efforts. This includes working with trusted messengers and community-based organizations to increase awareness and trust.
• Consider Ordinances. Beyond improving marketing and outreach strategies, some communities have implemented ordinances and legal tools to help ensure lead service line replacement in certain situations. For example, Milwaukee mandates LSLR for child care facilities, and Newark, New Jersey, passed an ordinance mandating property owners sign up for replacement. This was particularly important in Newark since most of its population is renters. Note that ordinances may not be appropriate for all communities and that partnership approaches work effectively in many communities. Any ordinance or legal tool still needs to be paired with effective outreach to ensure residents understand the importance and process of LSLR.
• Don’t Underestimate the Power of Trust. In Elevate’s conversations with water utilities, we learned that trust in a water utility is a powerful tool for getting residents to participate in LSLR efforts. Utilities have worked to build trust by meeting with community members directly about their questions and concerns, making improvements to their LSLR program design, working with community-based groups to spread the word about replacement efforts, and by encouraging word-of-mouth education from resident to resident.

By investing in targeted, transparent communication strategies and actively engaging with communities, the water sector can overcome hurdles, build support for lead service line replacement, and ultimately safeguard public health for future generations.

This blog was prepared following a convening by The Joyce Foundation and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago on January 10, 2024. The goal of the convening was to identify the information and resources communities need to tackle lead service line replacement. The Chicago Fed and the Joyce Foundation have prepared a report on the convening, “Identifying information gaps to help communities navigate lead service line replacement.” This blog is intended to provide deeper perspective on the importance of improved marketing and public education strategies is to increase resident participation in LSLR programs and reduce the overall cost of LSLR.

Want to Learn More?

Elevate works with municipalities, child care providers, and residents to tackle lead-in-drinking water. Visit ElevateNP.org/lead-in-water to learn more about our latest research and programs.