The University of Delaware Water Resources Center (UDWRC), the City of Wilmington and Jacobs, a private engineering firm, partnered to create a first-of-its-kind lead pipe inventory for all city-owned water lines. So instead of replacing all 74,000 lines, the city will be able to focus its resources on fewer than 2,000.
Findings from the analysis proved that 75% of the system is not lead. Fewer than 2,000 — less than 3% — were found to be made of lead, and fewer than 1,000 lines were found to be made of galvanized material.
The development of this inventory has substantial public health and economic benefits for Wilmington residents. Identifying the materials of drinking water service lines and determining the areas where lead and pipe replacement must occur has reduced the uncertainty while decreasing the estimated cost of replacing lead lines in the city’s historical system.
“This partnership not only ensures compliance with federal regulations but also serves as a model for cities nationwide,” said Kelly Williams, public works commissioner for the City of Wilmington. “We’re proud to set an example of what collaboration between municipalities and academic institutions can achieve.”
Martha Narvaez, UDWRC’s associate director, and Andrew Homsey, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) manager, led the initiative, which has been ongoing for the past two years. Narvaez and Homsey supervised a team of UD students — spanning four colleges and eight majors — who reviewed more than 70,000 historical work orders dating back to 1916 to inventory the public side of Wilmington’s water supply system.
The team evaluated service line data from the city’s as-built plans, asset management system, meter shop, licensing and inspection, and insurance records. The students searched through handwritten work orders from the early 1900s and updated GIS mapping layers to identify critical information such as service materials, size, location and installation date. Jacobs further processed the data using AI techniques to help in the quality control process.
“The dedication and hard work of the students have been remarkable,” Williams said. “Their ability to meticulously review over a century of data to develop our Service Line Inventory Map has been nothing short of extraordinary.”
The inventory will help the City of Wilmington meet the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revision deadline, according to Cheryl Townsend-Braun, a business analyst/asset management professional at Jacobs.
“The students’ meticulous review of historic work orders not only provided the foundation for the city’s water service line inventory but has also delivered immediate and tangible benefits to our community,” she said.
By leveraging this data during water main replacement projects, the city has already saved thousands of dollars by utilizing grant funding instead of capital improvement funds to replace lead water services, Townsend-Braun said.
“We are immensely grateful for the hard work and dedication of the students, whose efforts have made a lasting impact on both public health and the city’s financial stewardship,” she said.
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