Kendallville’s Lead-Service-Line Replacement Program Targets Phase 1 Completion in November

The City of Kendallville is carrying out Phase 1 of its lead-service-line replacement program, with the city’s published timetable targeting completion in November 2026. The work includes identifying pipe materials, notifying customers, replacing eligible service lines and offering follow-up water testing.

For residents whose service lines are identified for replacement, the project may bring temporary construction disruptions near their properties. The city says the completed work will provide improved protection against lead exposure. It has not publicly stated how many properties are included in Phase 1.

Work began with inventory and potholing

The program began with development of a lead-service-line inventory documenting the materials used in service-line pipes. The city scheduled Phase 1 potholing to begin in March 2026. Potholing is part of the field work used to help identify pipe materials before replacement decisions are made.

Phase 1 replacements were scheduled to begin in April 2026. The program also includes customer notifications, so residents can be informed when the city’s inventory and project work identify a service line for attention.

The city’s program page lists November 2026 as the Phase 1 completion target. The approved information does not include a current completion percentage, a total project cost or a newer construction bulletin confirming whether that timetable has changed.

Testing is planned after replacement

Residents who receive replacement work will be offered household water testing three to six months after the work is complete, according to the city. That interval is intended to provide a follow-up check after construction rather than an immediate result on the day a line is replaced.

The city’s program page also says the applicable federal rule requires replacement of all lead service lines by 2037. The 2037 date is the federal replacement horizon cited by Kendallville; the city’s current local target is to finish Phase 1 in November 2026.

Separate state distribution is not identified as project funding

A May 11, 2026, Indiana Department of Local Government Finance certification lists Kendallville Civil City with $231,528 in public-safety revenue, $93,419 in economic-development revenue and $286,499 in total expenditure distribution. That document does not identify those distributions as funding for the lead-service-line replacement program, so the figures should not be treated as the project’s budget or funding source.

The Kendallville Water Department and the City of Kendallville are the local entities identified with the program. Residents will need to rely on the city’s inventory and notifications for property-specific information about whether replacement work applies to their service line.