EPA readies $2.6 billion to replace every lead water pipe in a decade
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President Biden speaks during a news conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 4. Photo: Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The White House and the EPA will tap $2.6 billion from President Biden's signature infrastructure law to replace every lead drinking water pipe in the country within a decade as part of a newly unveiled EPA rule.
Why it matters: The toxic effects of lead in drinking water became national news during the Flint, Michigan crisis, but the EPA estimates that up to 9 million homes and businesses across the country still get their water through lead pipes.
- Lead in drinking caused by corroded pipes can negatively impact childhood brain development, kidney function, cardiovascular health and pregnancies.
- "No level of lead exposure is safe," the White House said in a fact sheet.
- "Yet, due to decades of inequitable infrastructure development and underinvestment, lead poisoning disproportionately affects low-income communities and communities of color," it continued.
- While the federal government banned the installation of new lead pipes in 1986, millions of homes are still connected to legacy pipes that have yet to be replaced.
Driving the news: The final rule announced Tuesday supports ongoing efforts to locate lead pipes across the U.S. and will strengthen tap water testing requirements.
- The $2.6 billion infusion follows a previous $15 billion investment for lead pipe replacement.
- The 2021 infrastructure law included more than $50 billion toward clean drinking water and water infrastructure.
- Nearly half of the funding dedicated to clean water mandates must flow to disadvantaged communities, notably those who are often disproportionately impacted by lead poisoning.
The big picture: The EPA predicts sweeping health benefits stemming from the initiative.
- Each year after the issuance of the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, the EPA estimates, it will protect 900,000 infants from having a low birthweight and reduce up to 1,500 cases of premature death from heart disease, among other benefits.
- "President Biden is the president who is finally putting an end to this generational public health crisis, and, folks, delivering a lead-free America is President Biden's legacy," EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a press call.
Reality check: Not every city will be on the same timeline. In Chicago, where there are 400,000 toxic lead water lines, the removal could take longer than a decade, Axios Chicago's Monica Eng reports.
- Erik Olson of the Natural Resources Defense Council told Axios Chicago would be required to remove its lines over about 22 years in what he calls "a big step forward for public health."
- An earlier proposed version of the rule would have given the Windy City 40 to 50 years to remove the lines.
President Biden will formally announce the final rule in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the city is working to replace roughly 65,000 residential lead service lines.
Go deeper: Detroit's great lead pipe replacement effort
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include reporting from Axios Chicago.
