Some 450 homes in Somerville have lead in their drinking water – 3.6 percent of all homes – and their residents have been drinking lead laden water for years. Next spring, the Engineering Division will finally begin replacing those pipes, thanks to a state program. Construction Liaison and Compliance Manager, Jesse Moos explained that the City of Somerville (Official) will select 70 priority residents during the first phase of the program that will begin April 2020. The contractors will perform “excavation” which is an extraction of the pipe without having to dig up the entire length of the pipe, he said.