How about some good news for a change? Akron is one of the most advanced cities in the country in lead water service line removal for our customers. This all began in the 1960s and Akron is on track to remove all lead service lines by the end of this year. Work is currently being done in the Castle Park area with little to no interruption to homeowners. You may see crews marking utilities on streets and devil strips in your area soon as we try wrap this project up.
As we have seen in other communities like Flint, Michigan, Lead is a toxin that can cause irreversible harm, and there is no safe level of lead for our children. Many lead lines have been removed and we will be removing all galvanized water lines too by the end of 2027.
Now about those remote water meters that many of you had scheduled appointments last year and could not be completed. Akron is contracting with crews through UMS that are specializing in those hard to reach areas. Please do not be alarmed if you get a yellow water shut off notice on your door saying water will be shut off in 48 hours. Do not panic. Make the call to set the appointment even if they could not install the meter previously, and no one will shut your water off.
These new water meters are essential to software the water department has installed to read your meter and we will be able to detect leaks quickly. This includes things like a running toilet, or leaky faucet that over the course of a month could cost thousands of dollars to homeowners. The combination of meter and software system systems will notify us that there is a usage and we can contact you before things get out of hand.