West Roache Street in the Riverside neighborhood has the look of the past. While walking through, it almost feels like someone added color to an old black and white photo.
There are well-kept bungalow homes built a century ago, meticulously manicured lawns and gardens, rock-lined retaining walls and huge trees within the street median providing shade.
But a costly and potentially dangerous problem lurks underneath the idyllic setting. The neighborhood’s vintage plumbing could be exposing people to lead contamination, which is linked to a variety of health risks, including reproductive and nerve problems and learning disabilities.
According to Citizens Energy Group, about 97% of homes in the neighborhood have lead pipes. Citizens Energy is helping residents replace their lead lines by extending their Lead Service Line Replacement Program to the Riverside neighborhood.
Through the program, homeowners can either handle the line replacement on their own and get the portion of the work done on their property subsidized by the company, or they can let Citizens Energy handle the work when they work in hotspots around the city.
The company previously replaced lead lines in the Martindale Brightwood neighborhood on the east side. Since March, the company has begun replacing lead lines in about 3,500 Riverside homes with ones made of a flexible plastic called high density polyethylene. The project will continue through the rest of this year and 2027.
Riverside Civil League President Steve Downing Jr. said many residents have long known about the potential danger, but haven’t had the power to do much about it. Replacing the lines on their own would be too expensive for most.
“Knowing that the homes were built in the early 1900s, we knew that there was probably lead paint and lead lines,” Downing said. “I’ve been living here 46 years, and I grew up in my home. Back then we all drank from the lines, but thankfully we’re in good shape.”
Downing’s in-laws once were curious about how much it would cost to replace their lines on their own. They were staggered when they were told it would cost at least $10,000 for the job. It was too much for them to afford.
The same problem prevented Nolan Franklin III from replacing his lines. He’s lived in his West Roache Street home since 1980 and knew there was a chance he could have lead lines, but couldn’t afford to pay the $10,000 to $15,000 he was told it would cost to replace them.
Downing and others hope the replacement program keeps their neighborhood vibrant and healthy for future generations of Riverside residents.
“We immediately signed up for the opportunity. We were super excited, and we knew how important it was for our children. It’s going to make our home more safe,” Downing said.
The Lead Service Line Replacement Program
In 2021, the Biden administration passed a rule that requires the replacement of all lead service lines and identification of all unknown service lines by Dec 31, 2037.
Citizen Energy Group’s effort in Riverside is part of its approximately $500 million overall program in the company’s six-county service area to meet that requirement.
Using an interest-free loan from the Indiana Finance Authority, the company combed through public records to create a Water Service Line Inventory of where lead lines were found in the city. They found them mainly in older neighborhoods built before 1950, like homes in the Riverside neighborhood, which were built when lead was commonly used.
Citizens Energy estimates about 75,000 homes and businesses built before 1950 in the Indianapolis area may have lead service lines and/or lead plumbing. So far, it’s replaced about 6,000.
“This comprehensive replacement program is our opportunity to take care of that for our customers,” said Ben Easley, Citizens Energy Group’s corporate and public affairs coordinator. “This way, a customer is not faced with a huge one-time bill for a replacement.”
The cost of replacing the lines is being shared by all customers via a monthly Lead Service Line Recovery fee for Citizens customers that is based on their meter size. The fee costs most residential customers either $4.49 or $6.73 a month.
Getting the lead out
Lead lines are unhealthy for people because they corrode over time and can taint water that passes through them with lead.
How much lead enters your water depends on how corroded your lead pipes are. That varies depending on factors like the acidity and temperature of water, how worn the pipes are and the amount of lead in the service lines.
If Citizens Energy determines that a homeowner has lead service lines, the company sends them a letter that lets them know their situation and the options they have to address it.
Homeowners can choose to remove their lead service through Citizens Energy Group contractors and pay only for the line replacement done on their private property.
They can also wait for Citizens Energy Group to do neighborhood-wide replacements at no cost, besides the monthly Lead Service Line Recovery fee.
Easley said conducting work a neighborhood at a time allows crews to work more efficiently and minimize disruptions to residents.
“We can set up on a street, get right of entry agreements from everyone and move down the street comprehensively,” Easley said.
Work at each home takes about four hours and includes a brief interruption of water service. Easley said crews will replace anything that they disturb.
Crews had to dig through Franklin’s front yard to access the service line. When they replaced it, they reseeded the lawn and covered it with straw to protect it.
Franklin said he’s happy with the work.
“Everything is shipshape. They even cut the grass yesterday, man,” he said. “It’s going to be good for the whole neighborhood.”
More lead line information
To see if your home has lead service lines, check out Citizen Energy’s online Water Service Line Inventory.
For more information about replacing lead lines on your own or to contact the Lead Service Line Replacement Team, head to the company’s dedicated website.
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Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on Bluesky at @enriquesaenz.bsky.social.
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