FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Decades of testing have shown that the level of lead in Fargo’s tap water is well below federal safety standards. To improve tap water safety, The City of Fargo is seeking to replace its lead service lines across the city as part of a nationwide initiative.
Troy Hall, the Water Utility Director told Fargo City Commission, that there are nearly 2,500 lead service lines in the City of Fargo.
“If we kind of figure out what’s needed to do a city wide project, it would be about 35 million dollars, is what I’m estimating we can do city wide. But then with the loan forgiveness, that 66%, that’s the grant part, that would be over $23 million in grant funding, for the City of Fargo. We could help residents,” Hall says.
Hall says that receiving these funds would be a huge opportunity.
On Monday, the City Commission voted 5-0 to give approval to Water Utility staff to apply for a Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan and grant for lead service line replacement in Fargo.
The City of West Fargo has been working on locating and replacing the lead services lines since 2023.
“Happy to report we only found and know of six lead service lines that were in West Fargo- is what we found. Since then we have replaced four of them, and there are only two remaining that we know about,” says Dan Hanson, City of West Fargo’s Senior Director of Community and Development.
Hanson says they plan on replacing the remaining pipes by summer of 2025.
Like West Fargo, the City of Moorhead has been locating and replacing the service lines for a few years.
“We found approximately 20 or so lead lines, that number fluctuates while we come through with water meter replacement projects,” says Jake Long, Moorhead Public Services Water Distribution Manager.
Long says the water services line will be replaced within the next 10 years.
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