The loud sound of drilling is the last thing residents who live on East 24th Street in the city of Paterson say they want to hear.

But according to those completing construction work, it's a sound that can save a life.

For the past two years Passaic Valley Water Commission has been working with Paterson, Clifton, Passaic and Prospect Park to replace more than 6,000 customer-owned lead pipes lines.

"It's not healthy for any of us in any amounts. It can cause brain damage It can cause organ damage. It can lead to development disabilities in children," said Jim Mueller, Passaic Valley Water commission director.

PVWC says that the agency is getting ahead of the state mandate that requires all lead water lines to be replaced in a decade.

The work is free to customers and covered by the state.

The actual replacement only takes a few hours.

"There is no lead in the source water. The source of the lead is from pipes or paint inside the house, and we want to get it out. We don't even want the lead there to be able to leach out," said Mueller.

Those working on the project say the biggest challenge by far is getting access into people's homes in order to be able to swap out the pipes.

The mayor in the city of Paterson says more than 500 people still have not been granted that access, but they're hoping to change that.

"Normally this would cost $10,000 for you to do this on your own and so quite frankly, your saving money and you could also be saving your life or saving lives as well, because there no telling what can happen if you consume lead," said Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh.

If all goes well, all 6,000 pipes will be completed next spring.

Crews say they have 2,000 lines left to replace.

Click here to see if you have lead in your pipes.