Biden Sets 10-Year Deadline for US Cities to Replace Lead Pipes
A New Era for Safe Drinking Water
A decade after the Flint, Michigan, water crisis raised alarms about the continuing dangers of lead in tap water, President Joe Biden is setting a 10-year deadline for cities across the nation to replace their lead pipes, finalizing an aggressive approach aimed at ensuring that drinking water is safe for all Americans.
The Aggressive Approach
Biden is expected to announce the final Environmental Protection Agency rule Tuesday in the swing state of Wisconsin during the final month of a tight presidential campaign. The announcement highlights an issue — safe drinking water — that Kamala Harris has prioritized as vice president and during her presidential campaign. The new rule supplants a looser standard set by former President Donald Trump’s administration that did not include a universal requirement to replace lead pipes.
A Moral Imperative
Biden and Harris believe it’s “a moral imperative” to ensure that everyone has access to clean drinking water, EPA Administrator Michael Regan told reporters Monday. “We know that over 9 million legacy lead pipes continue to deliver water to homes across our country. But the science has been clear for decades: There is no safe level of lead in our drinking water.”
The Consequences
Lead, a heavy metal used in pipes, paints, ammunition, and many other products, is a neurotoxin that can cause a range of disorders from behavioral problems to brain damage. Lead lowers IQ scores in children, stunts their development, and increases blood pressure in adults.
A Stronger Standard
The EPA estimates the stricter standard will prevent up to 900,000 infants from having low birthweight and avoid up to 1,500 premature deaths a year from heart disease.
The New Rule
The new regulation is stricter than one proposed last fall and requires water systems to ensure that lead concentrations do not exceed an “action level” of 10 parts per billion, down from 15 parts per billion under the current standard. If high lead levels are found, water systems must inform the public about ways to protect their health, including the use of water filters, and take action to reduce lead exposure while concurrently working to replace all lead pipes.
The Challenge Ahead
Lead pipes often impact low-income urban areas the most. They are most commonly found in older, industrial parts of the country, including major cities such as Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Detroit, and Milwaukee, where Biden will announce the standards on Tuesday.
Funding and Support
To help communities comply, the agency is making available an additional $2.6 billion for drinking water infrastructure through the bipartisan infrastructure law. The agency also is awarding $35 million in competitive grants for programs to reduce lead in drinking water.
A 10-Year Timeline
The 10-year timeframe won’t start for three years, giving water utilities time to prepare. A limited number of cities with large volumes of lead pipes may be given a longer timeframe to meet the new standard.
Meeting the Challenge
Biden will make the announcement in Milwaukee, a city with the fifth-highest number of lead pipes in the nation, according to the EPA. Officials there are using money from the federal infrastructure law to accelerate lead-pipe replacement work and meet a goal to remove all lead pipes within 10 years, down from an initial 60-year timeframe.
The Road Ahead
Actually getting the lead pipes out of the ground will be an enormous challenge. The infrastructure law approved in 2021 provided $15 billion to help cities replace their lead pipes, but the total cost will be several times higher. The requirement also comes as the Biden administration proposes strict new drinking water standards for forever chemicals called PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These standards will also improve public health although at a cost of billions of dollars.
Conclusion
The new rule is a significant step forward in ensuring that drinking water is safe for all Americans. However, the road ahead will be challenging, and significant funding and support will be needed to replace the millions of lead pipes across the country.
FAQs
* Q: What is the deadline for cities to replace lead pipes?
A: 10 years from the effective date of the new rule.
* Q: How many lead pipes are expected to be replaced?
A: Over 9 million legacy lead pipes are expected to be replaced.
* Q: What is the estimated cost of replacing the lead pipes?
A: The total cost is expected to be several times higher than the $15 billion provided in the infrastructure law.
* Q: How will communities be supported in replacing the lead pipes?
A: The EPA will make available an additional $2.6 billion for drinking water infrastructure and award $35 million in competitive grants for programs to reduce lead in drinking water.
