Innovative Partnership in Wausau, WI

The EquiFlow Lead-Free Program, launched in early 2024, is an innovative partnership between the City of Wausau, WI and Community Infrastructure Partners (CIP) to replace up to 8,000 lead service lines within five years, prioritizing homes in disadvantaged communities, and ensuring Wausau residents have access to safe, lead-free drinking water.

Wausau has committed to taking a community-based approach to accelerate lead service line replacement by using the community-based public private partnership (CBP3) delivery model. This US Environmental Protection Agency approach prioritizes using large infrastructure investments as a means of economic development for the local community by utilizing local residents, developing training and capacity building programs, and partnering with local, small, minority-owned, women-owned, and union-based businesses. To ensure local business participation and workforce development are core elements of their program, Wausau’s approach takes the CBP3 model a step further by tying the private sector’s compensation to achieving these goals. In other words, CIP, the city’s CBP3 partner, will not earn its full compensation if it does not meet these community-based objectives.

This CBP3 is expected to generate multiple benefits for the City of Wausau and its constituents:

• Acceleration of Lead Service Line Replacements.Water utilities nationwide have been provided a once-in-a-generation opportunity to utilize significant federal funding through the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (including $15 billion for lead service line replacement) – reducing many of the funding constraints typically faced. However, the competitively allocated funds are only available for five years and the City of Wausau will need to significantly increase the number of replacements completed per year (from less than 100 to about 1,600) to replace all of its estimated 8,000 lead service lines. To meet this demand, Wausau will leverage the CBP3 to increase contractor capacity through targeted outreach efforts in addition to developing comprehensive workforce development partnerships with the trade unions, such as the Wisconsin Laborers’ District Council (WI LIUNA).
• Significant Cost Savings. A 2021 Wausau-commissioned report estimated costs to replace the estimated 8,000 lead service lines within the city at $80 million over 15 years, (or >$100M with inflation). Utilizing the CBP3 model to accelerate the replacement of all lead service lines within five years is estimated to result in significant cost savings, at less than $60 million, with any additional savings being recycled back into the program.
• Opportunities for Local Businesses. Maximizing the federal funding available to the CIty of Wausau will increase opportunities for local businesses in trades, including plumbing, excavating, landscaping, engineering, outreach, and more. The city has committed that at least 50% of the money will go to Wisconsin-based businesses.
• Job Opportunities for Residents. With workforce and contractor development being key components of the CBP3 model, training and career opportunities will be provided in partnership with LiUNA and Wisconsin Laborers.

Not only is the EquiFlow Lead-Free Program ground-breaking on its own, but the City of Wausau and CIP are committed to taking a more holistic approach to lead exposure and are implementing comprehensive solutions to address other sources of lead, while simultaneously tackling lead in drinking water. They strategically leveraged the EquiFlow Lead-Free Program to jointly apply for and secure the city’s first Lead Hazard Reduction Capacity Building Grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes (awarded in 2024). This investment creates efficiencies by leveraging the community outreach and engagement effort that is required to get homeowner consent for lead service line replacements and is being funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This enables the city to enhance their opportunities around workforce development, public health and safety, community outreach, and data management and analysis – to increase its capacity to simultaneously address other important sources of lead exposure, starting with lead-based paint hazards.

Learn more about the EquiFlow Lead-Free Program.