A new state grant will help residential property owners in Kingston replace lead water service lines. On Friday, city officials announced that the city had received $8.9 million for the new Lead Infrastructure Forgiveness and Transformation program initiated by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“Our communities shouldn’t have to choose between protecting their drinking water and taking on crushing debt,” Governor Hochul said. “Every family deserves clean, safe drinking water at a cost they can afford, and these grants will help us make that goal a reality.”

The money will help defray the cost of replacing lead pipes connecting individual properties to city water lines. Those expenses are typically borne by the property owner and can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 or more, depending on the length of the pipe and other factors. According to the New York League of Conservation Voters, about 35 percent of the service lines in Kingston contain lead, one of the highest proportions of any city in the state. Lead contamination is linked to a number of health and developmental issues in children, and health authorities say there is no safe level of lead for human consumption.

In December 2024, the Kingston Water Department issued letters to 2,711 Kingston households informing them of lead service lines. Another 2,056 households received notification that the composition of their service lines was unknown and may contain lead. Under state law, municipalities have until 2037 to remediate all water mains and service lines containing lead.

According to a statement announcing the grant, $540,000 of Kingston’s award will fund ongoing inventory work to identify more lead service lines. The remainder will go toward a replacement program to help homeowners pay for new pipes. The program is still in development, and details will be announced at a later date, officials said. None of the city’s existing water mains contain lead, so all of the available funding will go toward assisting homeowners.

“We are pleased to have these grant funds available to assist homeowners with lead service line replacements while minimizing the financial impact on our water ratepayers,” said Water Department Superintendent Matthew Dysard. “The funding will also help us improve our lead service line inventory and better identify lines that need to be addressed throughout the community.”