World

Biden gives US cities 10 years to replace lead pipes nationwide

WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Joe Biden, this week, set a 10-year deadline for cities across the nation to replace their lead pipes and ensure safe drinking water to all Americans.

Biden announced the final Environmental Protection Agency rule while visiting the swing state of Wisconsin in the final month of a tight presidential campaign. Kamala Harris prioritized the issue of safe drinking water as vice president and during her presidential campaign.

Biden said it was shameful that decades after alarms were raised about the continuing dangers of lead in tap water, more than nine million lead pipes remain in use.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan said Milwaukee is one of many cities across the country taking steps to remove lead pipes from their drinking water. Officials are using money from the federal infrastructure law to remove all lead pipes within 10 years, down from an initial 60-year timeframe.

The new EPA rule is the strongest overhaul of lead-in-water standards in roughly three decades. 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.

The EPA estimates the stricter standard will prevent up to 900,000 infants from having low birth weight and avoid up to 1,500 premature deaths a year from heart disease.

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.

Lead pipes are most commonly found in older, industrial parts of the country, including major cities such as Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Detroit, and Milwaukee. The EPA said the rule could significantly expand the number of cities and water systems that are found to have excessive levels of lead.

The agency is making available an additional US$2.6 billion for drinking water infrastructure through the bipartisan infrastructure law to help communities comply. The agency also is awarding $35 million in competitive grants for programs to reduce lead in drinking water.

The 10-year timeframe won’t start for three years, giving water utilities time to prepare for the enormous challenge of getting lead pipes out of the ground.

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.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *