(COLDWATER) - The Coldwater Board of Public Utilities has awarded a more than $1.7 million contract for this year's lead service line replacement project.
The contract was approved Wednesday night and awarded to KLS Underground.
According to Water and Sewer Manager Bryan Massey, the bid was the lowest of four submitted through Fishbeck Engineering.
The work will focus on lead service line replacement in Coldwater's Fourth Ward.
Michigan requires water utilities to replace lead or galvanized water service lines that are, or were previously, connected to lead service.
Massey told the board about 1,200 service lines in the city were identified for replacement after the CBPU received a $3 million state grant in 2022.
The utility originally planned to complete all of the work internally, but brought in an outside contractor because of a three-year deadline tied to the grant funding.
According to Massey, about 620 service lines have been replaced over the last three years, with about 580 remaining.