Buffalo Water has launched a new community-based initiative to boost participation in the city of Buffalo's ongoing Lead Service Line Replacement Program.

The Community Care Worker Coalition (CCWC): Economic Empowerment in Lead Line Remediation - Community Action Plan (EELL-CAP), a collaboration between Buffalo Water and community-based and community health organizations, will feature select organizations that will engage the community, providing information, service, and support in identifying and replacing residential lead service lines.

"Finding and replacing our city’s lead service lines continues to be among our top priorities," Mayor Byron Brown said. "Every Buffalo resident should have access to clean, safe drinking water right from their tap and effective community outreach is important to the success of our efforts. I want to thank Open Buffalo and the Community Health Center of Buffalo for partnering with Buffalo Water on the new Community Care Worker Coalition to help further engage City residents to better identify lead service lines in their homes, and what resources and tools are available to replace them."

Open Buffalo and the Community Health Center of Buffalo (CHCB) are two of the local organizations to join the initiative. 

"Buffalo Water is committed to finding and removing lead service lines in the City of Buffalo," Buffalo Water Board Chairman Oluwole "OJ" McFoy said. "A project of this magnitude requires public action and participation, which is why we developed the new Community Care Worker Coalition. Open Buffalo and the Community Health Center of Buffalo are two trusted community organizations that will assist city residents who still need to inform Buffalo Water if their home has a lead service line. They will also recruit volunteers for our tap sampling program. The CCWC’s EELL-CAP initiative will empower our community through lead line remediation support, information, and water bill assistance."

The program officially began Thursday in Hamlin Park, Cold Springs and surrounding neighborhoods.

To view the Service Line Inventory map and take the survey, city residents can visit getwaterwisebuffalo.org.