A spotty evening shower or thunderstorm, then partly to mostly clear and a bit muggy. .

A spotty evening shower or thunderstorm, then partly to mostly clear and a bit muggy.

PHILLIPSBURG, N.J. - Crews hired by Aqua New Jersey are replacing thousands of old galvanized pipes in response to a State law passed last year. Early Friday morning, workers and trucks came rolling onto Heckman St. The noise came as a surprise to Yasmine Singleton.

"I was a little shocked. I'm like why are they digging in the street?" said Singleton, who has lived on Heckman St. for three years now.

She was one of the homeowners who got a notice on their door warning that they had galvanized pipes, which could pose a threat of lead contamination in drinking water.

"I did not know at all, and so I'm glad they're rectifying it, rather than letting it, bad things happen to us, the children," said Singleton.

The work is the result of a law, signed in July of last year by Governor Phil Murphy, to replace all lead and galvanized pipes in New Jersey in the next 10 years. While galvanized pipes are safer than lead, Aqua said they can still cause contamination.

"Galvanized lines, they really get a lot of build-up on them over the years, and that build-up is where you're concerned with the lead being stuck in that pipe," said Adam Burger, Director of Operations at Aqua New Jersey.

The new lines are copper, and the company said they could be in use for the next century or more without causing any concerns of lead contamination. Something Singleton and her son Dalin were happy to hear.

"We don't want this to be another Flint, Michigan type of situation, so this is a very important excavation," said Singleton.

In total, the work will cost about $2.5 billion across the State over the next decade, and it will eventually be paid for by rate increases, but Singleton said she's not worried about the cost.

"If prices have to go up to keep us healthy, that's just what has to happen. I just have to accept it," said Singleton.

Aqua New Jersey has the next 10 years to get the pipe replacements done in Phillipsburg, but the company tells us it's hoping to do it in under 5 years. It said there are about 1,500 houses in total that need replacements.

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