President Joe Biden announced a 10-year deadline for cities across the U.S. to replace lead pipes in order to ensure safe drinking water for all Americans. The new rule, finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency, replaces a looser standard set by the Trump administration and aims to address the long-standing issue of lead pipes in the country. This announcement comes at a time when Vice President Kamala Harris has also prioritized safe drinking water and highlights the need for government intervention in protecting public health.
Despite the clear dangers of lead pipes, more than 9 million lead pipes are still in use in the country, which Biden referred to as shameful. The EPA Administrator Michael Regan emphasized the importance of removing lead pipes from drinking water, stating that there is no safe level of lead in drinking water. The new rule is a significant overhaul of lead-in-water standards and aims to prevent adverse health effects caused by lead exposure, such as lower IQ scores in children and increased blood pressure in adults.
To help cities comply with the new regulation, the EPA is making additional funds available for drinking water infrastructure through the bipartisan infrastructure law. The 10-year timeframe for lead pipe replacement will give water utilities time to prepare, with some cities potentially given a longer timeframe based on the volume of lead pipes. Removing lead pipes can significantly reduce the chances of lead contamination in drinking water, as seen in cities like Flint, Michigan, Newark, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., that have faced high levels of lead in their water.
Although the new rule has received support from environmental advocates, there are concerns about the cost of replacing lead pipes. The American Water Works Association supports the EPA’s goals but warns of cost challenges that may lead to higher water bills for consumers. Additionally, some Republican attorneys general have criticized the rule as unnecessary and underfunded, raising concerns about financial burdens on homeowners for replacing lead pipes on their properties. Despite the challenges, the EPA believes that the benefits of the rule outweigh the costs and that the approach is legally sound and science-backed.
In addition to replacing lead pipes, the Biden administration is proposing strict new drinking water standards for harmful chemicals known as PFAS, which will also require significant funding. Finding and identifying lead pipes in cities will be a key challenge in the implementation of the new rule, as many cities do not have comprehensive inventories of their water systems. However, with the new regulation in place, there is a renewed commitment to ensuring safe and affordable water for all Americans, particularly those in communities disproportionately affected by lead exposure. Access to safe drinking water is seen as a basic human right, and the new rule signals a shift towards addressing the long-standing issue of lead pipes in the country.
