MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. – Madison Heights is taking the initiative to replace lead pipes the city is not responsible for, and it's saving people some big money.
There is not lead in the water in Madison Heights, but the city is making sure that never happens by proactively replacing every lead pipe in people's homes.
"Even though we don't think we have a problem here in Madison Heights, it's important enough that we want to know for sure 100 percent," City Manager Ben Myers said.
The first step is identifying the pipes, which is what the city is doing now.
The city expects to find fewer than 100 lead lines, and even though those pipes are the homeowners' responsibility, Madison Heights isn't charging them a dime.
"For a lot of people, I think that it would be a huge strain on people's budget," said Tony Wodwaski, of Madison Heights. "So I think it's a good move by the city to go ahead and do that."
The city will test for lead before replacing pipes and again after, just to make sure.
Word is legislation is coming down the pike to make municipalities do this anyway, so Madison Heights wants to be out in front of it.