Mar. 26—GOSHEN — The city of Goshen is in the process of applying for $7.037 million in funding from the state to search for and replace water service lines that might contain lead. Plus, they will be creating an inventory of drinking water service lines in the city — all with the goal of not raising rates.

The Goshen City Council on Monday night gave approval to apply for the funding through the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Program, and they approved having Mayor Gina Leichty sign the paperwork. It was pointed out there is no guarantee that Goshen will receive the money.

Part of the process to get the money was Monday night’s presentation about this joint project between the city’s engineering and water departments. They hired Arcadis to develop a preliminary engineering report and a long-term lead service line replacement plan. This is a 12-year plan to remove all lead service lines from the water system.

Bontrager-Singer said there are 11,620 service lines in the city. Of those, 7,500 are of an unknown composition.

The utility has also applied for a $300,000 grant to dig down, or “pothole,” in certain locations in random areas around the city to determine what is on the other side of the valve, explained Jamey Bontrager-Singer, Utilities city engineer.

He said unlike Flint, Michigan, and other cities throughout the country, he does not believe Goshen has any fully lead service lines.

The city does have service lines that were installed prior to the 1970s that likely include a 2-foot long flexible lead connector, commonly referred to as a “lead gooseneck.” This is located where the customer service line connects to the city main. The state is funding the removal of lead goosenecks this year, he said.

An area for the city has been identified for this project — an area the state considers disadvantaged. The area is bordered on the south by Pike Street/Elkhart Road, on the east by North Third Street/Main Street, on the west by Riverside Boulevard, with the northern limit including Wilden Avenue. Along Wilden, which has undergone paving and utility work the past few years, the utilities will replace the lines from the curb stop to the home, Director of Public Works Dustin Sailor said.

Bontrager-Singer said the area was chosen because the city already intends to replace some old domestic water mains and sanitary and stormwater separation work is planned there. Crews can do the underground work before paving.

The project will be a combination of:

* Forgivable loans for a portion of the lead service line replacements (the $7.037 million),

* Low-interest loans for the main replacements, and

* Departmental funding for the storm, sanitary and road work.

The goal is to not impact the customer utility rates, he said.

As for the inventory of pipes, GIS technology is being used to map lines using information from customers, historical data and AmeriCorps volunteers going door to door. The utilities are also using a consultant, BlueConduit, to perform predictive modeling of the system.

Bontrager-Singer said if the loan is approved they expect to start construction in November with completion by July of 2026.

For those who want more information on this project, visit Lead-Safe Goshen’s website at https://leadsafe-goshenindiana.hub.arcgis.com/

Sheila Selman can be reached at sheila.selman@goshennews.com or 574-533-2151, ext. 240311. Follow Sheila on Twitter @sselman_TGN.