The city of Paterson is teaming up with the Passaic Valley Water Commission to replace thousands of lead water pipes.

It is a massive effort that is not only happening in Paterson, but in Passaic, Clifton and Prospect Park as well. PVWC says that the agency is getting ahead of a state mandate that requires all lead water lines to be replaced in a decade.

Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh is encouraging residents to not only cooperate with the effort, but also ask for it. He says it is for their own health and safety.

“We have your best interest at heart. It's for the safety of your families, specifically children, because it could adversely impact brain development in young men and women,” Sayegh says.

It is estimated that there are about 3,000 lead pipes in Paterson. PVWC plans to replace about 6,500 lead lines in all.

“The state of New Jersey has mandated the removal of all lead lines in the next 10 years and we are being proactive in our owner cities and doing this for free for the customers right now,” says PVWC executive director Jim Muller.

The city of Newark has taken on a similar project previously. The Paterson effort is using lessons from that success, along with the failures in Flint, Michigan, to help keep residents safe.

“We have learned so many lessons from Flint that can't be repeated in Paterson and that's why we’re here and being so assertive in our efforts to protect the people of Paterson,” Sayegh says.

The project is free to customers. The actual replacement process only takes a few hours.

PWVC says it hopes to complete the entire program in all four cities within three years.

More information can be found on the company’s website.