Aqua Pennsylvania is cranking up a statewide blitz to pull out customer-owned lead and galvanized service lines, reporting more than 2,500 replacements since 2024 and tens of thousands of inspections along the way. The utility is pitching the work as a public health mission and part of a broader national push to track down and replace aging lead plumbing. For many homeowners in affected communities, Aqua says the customer side of the line is being swapped out at no direct cost.
Progress Across The Commonwealth
According to PHILADELPHIA.Today, Aqua has checked the construction material for roughly 71,239 customer service lines and completed 2,523 replacements so far, with about 1,186 swaps in 2024 and 1,356 in 2025. Those projects have already hit homes and businesses in 62 municipalities, a pace Aqua says it plans to keep going until known lead and galvanized lines are gone from its distribution systems.
Regulators Sign Off
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission signed off on Aqua’s Lead Service Line Replacement program in April 2025, authorizing the company to replace up to 1,500 customer owned lines per year and setting a systemwide target of more than 11,400 replacements by December 31, 2034, according to MyChesCo. The settlement also directs Aqua to prioritize high risk neighborhoods and to coordinate outreach using state and federal equity tools, so the upgrades do not just land in the easiest, loudest, or wealthiest corners of its territory.
How The Work Is Being Funded
To keep the customer side replacements affordable, Aqua has leaned on state administered low interest loans and principal forgiveness awards. The utility says it has secured about $5.6 million in PENNVEST support for customer owned lead and galvanized replacements since 2023. In recent announcements, Aqua has highlighted PENNVEST backed projects in West Chester and Bristol that combine state loans with federal funding so homeowners are not hit with direct charges. For details on those awards and the broader initiative, the company points customers to Aqua Pennsylvania and to state PENNVEST funding notices.
Where Crews Will Be Working
For 2025, Aqua has circled several major project areas, including Athens and Sayre boroughs in Bradford County, Bristol Borough and Bristol Township in Bucks County, Media in Delaware County, Mercer Borough in Mercer County, and Hatboro in Montgomery County, according to PHILADELPHIA.Today. Crews, the company says, work directly with property owners to schedule digs and then restore yards and sidewalks once the new service lines are in.
What Homeowners Should Expect
Aqua’s program materials and community notices say that when the utility finds a lead or galvanized section on the customer side and can gain access, the replacement is done at no direct cost to the customer and comes with a warranty on the completed work. While waiting for a scheduled swap, local guidance suggests some simple short term habits, like running cold water briefly before drinking, steering clear of hot tap water for cooking, and using NSF certified lead filters if desired. Aqua and municipal water departments outline testing options, financing programs, and enrollment steps, and households can find additional how to guidance through Aqua’s program pages and the Philadelphia Water Department.
Regulatory Context
The federal Lead and Copper Rule Improvements finalized by the EPA require drinking water systems to identify and replace lead pipes within ten years and to expand testing, reporting, and public notification requirements, a shift the agency says is backed by new federal funding intended to speed up replacement work across the country. That tighter rulebook, combined with state and federal dollars, forms the immediate backdrop for utility efforts like Aqua’s program.
For neighborhoods where Aqua crews are already opening up streets and lawns, the replacements promise a long term cut in potential lead exposure and a chance to update aging pipe networks that have been buried in place for generations. Aqua says it will keep surveying customers and lining up replacement schedules as state and federal funding continues to flow into local projects over the coming years.
