With the serious lead problems encountered in Flint following the change in water supply, municipalities and water utilities across the country are quickly taking action to remove lead service lines from their network. But at the same time, our recovering economy means that these organizations don't necessarily have the budget available to dive right in on an immediate replacement. Fortunately, some government agencies and organizations are creating assistance programs to help this process along. Combined with New Concept Tools' Service Line Puller Kits, your municipality or utility can quickly and effectively change out lead service lines for a lower immediate cost. Here are the details.

The problems encountered in Flint are problems that any water utility with lead in its service lines can face. A simple change in the water supply source changed the alkalinity of the water, releasing lead into the water to be consumed by children, the elderly and the sick. This can lead to significant health problems and may open your water utility to legal action down the road. But replacing these lines can be very costly.

Some government agencies are taking proactive measures to help make this process easier. As an example, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority has launched a new interest-free loan program with $100 million budgeted to help water utilities change out lead water lines. In Boston, a new law allows for crediting $1800-2700 for changing out water supply lines. But even with these benefits, the costs can still remain too high for many water utilities that are still recovering from delayed projects and repairs following the economic downturn. How can you make this change while lowering the overall costs of the water line replacements?

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At New Concept Tools, we've always focused on creating effective tools focused on the exact issues that many water utilities face in the field. One of our most popular cost-saving tools is our Service Line Puller Kits. Available in two sizes, these cover a range of different supply line sizes. The first covers water lines from 3/4" to 1", while the second covers water supply lines from 1-1/4" to 2" in diameter. Our kit includes a pipe splitter that breaks the existing water line as the cable is pulled through the center of the existing line while pulling the new line behind it, virtually eliminating the need for extensive digging or excavation at the service line site. We've also designed this tool set to be field repairable, so if you have a cable break in the field, it's easy to simply attach the head back to the plain end of the cable and continue working, unlike the competition.

Because there's no digging required, there's also no trench to fill or refill once it settles. This means less time spent in maintenance and more time spent where your team is needed most. As you can see, the problem of lead in service lines is very serious, but the replacement costs can be mitigated when you use the correct tool; a Service Line Puller Kit that prevents the high cost of digging and laying new lines. If you need help with your water utility or municipalities water line replacement program, please feel free to contact the experts at New Concept Tools today. At New Concept Tools, when we say lead free, we mean 100% lead free!