Water service line. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Wausau Finance Committee voted 3-0 to continue the city-wide lead service line replacement effort with no out-of-pocket cost to property owners, continuing a program that began in 2024.
Public Works Director Eric Lindman says Wausau put itself in a good position by starting the program early, but competition for the grant dollars from various groups is heating up. “More cities are starting to do this, so they are starting to compete [for the dollars]. The other challenge is we’ve had locked-in bid prices that were extremely low for the last three years, but now we have to bid again.”
Lindman and representatives from Community Infrastructure Partners, the group organizing the city’s effort to remove lead service lines, told the Committee that they tried to extend the contract at current prices but the DNR blocked the move. The city had been paying less than $7,000 per line, while the state’s average low bid in 2026 was $9,920 per line. Lindman says Tuesday’s vote sets them up to go to bid early, which should bring favorable numbers. “We’ll try to bid for two years [at] 2,800 to 3,000 lines [per year]. Hopefully we can attract some larger contractors and get the bids out early so they can lock in their work schedule for next year. And [hopefully get] multiple bidders so we can have some competition.”
Information presented by CIP shows Chicago is paying about $31,000 per line. Suburbs like Evanston, Riverside, and Elgin are paying between $9,200 and $25,000. Columbus, Ohio, is paying $12,000 for private-side lines, and Washington, DC, is replacing its lines for about $40,000 each.
CIP presented the Committee with options that included an up-front cost for property owners, including a flat fee of $1,000 per line. Another option had the city covering up to 75% of the work. Alders discussed the options, but ultimately balked at passing costs on to residents, especially those currently in the queue. “The committee wants the city to pick up that gap funding, just as they have the last couple of years.”
RELATED: UPDATED: Residents Won’t Pay For Lead Service Line Replacement Under Wausau Plan
Alders Sarah Watson, Vicki Tierney, and Michael Martens voted in favor, though Tierney did express concern about taking on additional debt. Tom Neal and Matt Hoenecke were absent from Tuesday’s meeting. The measure will now go to the full Council at its next meeting in October.
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