The US could finally ditch lead pipes under new EPA decision

The Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule today that mandates the replacement of lead pipes in drinking water systems within 10 years. The agency also announced $2.6 billion in funding to upgrade systems and make the changes.

Up to 9 million homes across the US still get water that flows through old lead pipes, according to EPA estimates. Lead can get into drinking water when pipes corrode. And as a toxic metal, it can accumulate in the human body over time, which is particularly harmful to children.

The announcements today are supposed to accelerate the painfully slow progress that’s been made to address the health risks posed by lead exposure — risks that are often magnified in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color where there’s older infrastructure. The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, brought the issue to national attention in 2014. But a decade later, communities across the US are still struggling to replace lead pipes.

“This is a matter of public health, a matter of environmental justice, a matter of basic human rights, and it is finally being met with the urgency It demands,” EPA administrator Michael Regan said in a call with reporters yesterday.

The EPA’s new rule sets a stricter limit on the amount of lead allowed in drinking water, down to 10 parts per billion instead of 15 parts per billion. More than federal 75 policies meant to limit children’s exposure to lead have been created since the 1970s, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. That work has managed to reduce average blood lead levels in kids over the years.

But no level of lead exposure is considered safe. Lead exposure raises the risk of heart disease, cancer, and other health issues in adults. Being exposed to lead can also affect brain development in children, potentially lowering IQ and leading to behavioral changes like difficulty concentrating. Since people can store lead in their bodies, adults might later expose a fetus to the toxic metal during pregnancy.

The EPA expects its new lead rule to prevent low birthweight in up to 900,000 infants. It also says the measure could prevent Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in up to 2,600 children and “prevent up to 200,000 IQ points lost” in kids.

The billions in funding to replace lead pipes announced today comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021. It included a total of $50 billion to improve drinking and wastewater systems.

“Folks, there has never been more federal funding available to remove lead pipes,” Regan said. “This is a bipartisan effort here. There have been folks on both sides of the aisle for a number of years who have been calling for the removal of lead service lines.” Those service lines are the largest source of lead exposure in the US, he added.

President Joe Biden is scheduled to travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, today to hype up the new drinking water rule and funding announcement. The city has been able to speed up its timeline for replacing lead pipes from 60 years to a decade to meet the EPA’s new deadline. It received $30 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law this year to replace some 3,400 lead service lines, according to the EPA.

There are still challenges ahead when it comes to eliminating aging lead pipes, which are no longer allowed in new plumbing. Utilities don’t have to pay for the cost of replacing lead pipes on private property under the EPA’s rule. That risks placing the burden on homeowners unable to afford the replacement, The New York Times reports.

The EPA also still needs to address other ways that children can be exposed to lead, advocates say. Other kinds of lead plumbing and fixtures outside of the service lines covered in the new rule are still a hazard in schools, consumer advocacy group US PIRG Education Fund points out.

“Kudos to the EPA for starting to move lead pipes into the dustbin of history,” Yana Kucher, chair of the organization’s toxics program, said in a press release. “Now, let’s get the lead out of the fountains and plumbing where our kids go to school.”