Ballpark for Main to Meter service replacement?

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am589

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Iowa
I was recently informed that my water service is lead. My water company puts the responsibility of the entire line on the property owner. I was trying to find a rough cost to have the line replaced on Google, but the numbers were anywhere from a few hundred to over $10,000. I don't want to waste anyone's time getting a consultation for an estimate because I wouldn't be able to afford it for a while. I'm not asking for any definite pricing or formal estimates. I just want to get an idea of what to expect.

Here's what I'm working with:
My service is roughly 40 feet from house to main.
Service enters the house about 7 feet below ground level and is a straight shot based on the location it enters the house and my stop box.
Concrete covers the whole thing. There's 3 feet of green space between the curb and sidewalk but my stop box is a couple feet over in the sidewalk at the approach of the driveway.
Pipe in the house is copper. Not sure how for out it runs as copper but it doesn't transition from lead at the basement wall for sure.
I've seen the main located 2 or 3 feet into the street. Depth of the main isn't known, but a water guy had told me they are at about 4 feet, give or take.

Not sure if it makes a difference but the gas main ends a solid 50 feet away. Never seen the sewer be marked. I've seen it located in the middle of streets and in the green space off the curb in the neighborhood though. I know my sewer line runs out the same side as my water, about 20 feet north. Power and comms are all overhead.

Taking a lightly educated guess and saying that I think getting this bored in might be the best route. Maybe not the cheapest for the new service, but the concrete work would be much less I think.

I hope that's enough info to work with to get something in the ball park. I know costs can vary for many reasons, location being one of them. I'm just trying to get an idea of where that number might be.
 
Pricing on that sort of thing tends to vary from locale to locale. I suggest asking your neighbors what they paid. Also, isn't there a shutoff valve and a meter somewhere on your property? Usually the way this works is that the property owner is only responsible for the pipe from the meter to the house. If you actually have to replace the pipe all the way to the main line I can see that being very expensive. It would be as much as having an entirely new service installed. Also a major PITA since the city has to be involved, OK'ing the hook up to their line, and providing a new shutoff and meter.

What's the main line made of? Not much point replacing the lead on your property if the main is also lead. In that situation I would instead put in a high quality filter. If the city ever gets around to replacing their lead line, then replace yours. Probably cheaper to do it when they have already dug up the street.

There may be grants or something available to cover the cost of replacing that lead pipe. Or for buying the filter to remove the contamination.

Good luck with this.
 
Pricing on that sort of thing tends to vary from locale to locale. I suggest asking your neighbors what they paid. Also, isn't there a shutoff valve and a meter somewhere on your property? Usually the way this works is that the property owner is only responsible for the pipe from the meter to the house. If you actually have to replace the pipe all the way to the main line I can see that being very expensive. It would be as much as having an entirely new service installed. Also a major PITA since the city has to be involved, OK'ing the hook up to their line, and providing a new shutoff and meter.

What's the main line made of? Not much point replacing the lead on your property if the main is also lead. In that situation I would instead put in a high quality filter. If the city ever gets around to replacing their lead line, then replace yours. Probably cheaper to do it when they have already dug up the street.

There may be grants or something available to cover the cost of replacing that lead pipe. Or for buying the filter to remove the contamination.

Good luck with this.
My neighbors haven't had their service replaced.
I know pricing can vary, I said as much in my original post.
I don't know if the water main is still lead. Even if it is lead, should I find lead in my water after having my service replaced then the water company will by 100% liable.
My water company made the property owner the owner of the water service from main to meter. That's not speculation. They sent letters to everyone with records showing lead services. In that letter it very clearly points that out.

I've already looked into grants and have been speaking to a representative from my water company about them. They have applied for funding to assist with replacing lead services. The amount they had applied for is only 6% of the estimated cost to replace all the lead services. In the past income requirements to qualify for assistance were set so low that nobody with that income could afford a home.

I have to leave for work, but long and short of it is I have looked into this as much as I could before coming to these forums. When I return tonight I will try to remember to share more details if you want to hold comments and suggestions until then.
 
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