ELKHART — Local officials want to make sure Elkhart doesn’t become the next Flint, Mich., with lead tainted water.
While Elkhart has no issues with lead at the source of its drinking water, 142 homes have lead-based service lines leading from the water main near the street into the water meter indoors. The city is now offering a new low-interest loan program to help low-income homeowners replace their lead lines.
Homeowners are required to pay for maintaining their water service lines. With a down payment of $100, a property owner can pay in monthly installments to Elkhart Utilities the remaining principal, plus interest.
If the project costs less than $2,000, a homeowner would have 36 months to pay back the loan. If the cost is more $2,000, the payback period extends to 60 months.
All payments would be at least $25 a month, and the interest rate would be set at the prime rate, plus 1 percent.
“This is all part of an effort by the city to see those lead-based service lines replaced,” said Laura Kolo, utility services manager. “It can get expensive for some homeowners to afford changing their line.”
Less than 1 percent of the 20,000 service lines in Elkhart have lead-based components in them. Elkhart adds polyphosphates into its water to prevent lead components from leaching into drinking water as a protection for anyone with lead-based service lines. If homeowners suspect their water has lead in it, they can get it tested at their own expense.