A decade has passed since the Flint, Michigan water crisis shed light on the ongoing risks associated with lead in tap water. In response, the Biden administration has taken a proactive stance by establishing a 10-year deadline for cities nationwide to replace their lead pipes. This ambitious approach is designed to guarantee the safety of drinking water for all Americans.
The Environmental Protection Agency is providing an extra $2.6 billion for drinking water infrastructure to assist communities in meeting compliance requirements. As part of the bipartisan infrastructure law, Missouri will be allocated $40.5 million for lead pipe replacement and inventory projects, while Illinois will receive $75.5 million.
The agency is also distributing $35 million in competitive grants for programs aimed at reducing lead in drinking water on a national scale.
The new lead-in-water standards represent the most significant update in lead regulations in nearly thirty years. Lead, a neurotoxic heavy metal found in pipes, paints, ammunition, and various other items, can lead to a wide range of health issues, including behavioral problems, brain damage, and developmental delays in children. Additionally, it has been linked to decreased IQ scores in children and elevated blood pressure in adults.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) predicts that implementing the more stringent standard will have significant health benefits. It is estimated that up to 900,000 infants will be protected from low birthweight, and there will be a potential reduction of up to 1,500 premature deaths annually from heart disease.
The recently introduced regulation is more stringent than the one that was proposed in the previous autumn. It mandates that water systems must guarantee that lead concentrations do not surpass an “action level” of 10 parts per billion, a decrease from the current standard of 15 parts per billion. In the event of elevated lead levels, water systems are required to inform the public about measures they can take to safeguard their health, such as using water filters. Additionally, they must take immediate action to minimize lead exposure and simultaneously work towards replacing all lead pipes.
Lead pipes have the potential to corrode and contaminate drinking water, posing a serious health risk. By eliminating these pipes, the likelihood of a water crisis can be significantly reduced. The city of Flint serves as a prominent example of how a change in the source of drinking water can lead to increased corrosiveness and elevated levels of lead in tap water. However, it is worth noting that Flint is not the only city grappling with this issue. Other cities, including Newark, New Jersey, Benton Harbor, Michigan, and Washington, D.C., have also faced challenges with persistently high levels of lead contamination.
Getting the lead pipes out of the ground will pose a significant challenge. While the infrastructure law passed in 2021 allocated $15 billion to assist cities in replacing their lead pipes, the overall cost will be much higher. Additionally, the Biden administration is proposing new stringent drinking water standards for PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are harmful forever chemicals. While these standards will enhance public health, they will come at a substantial financial burden, amounting to billions of dollars.
The American Water Works Association, a prominent industry group, expressed its support for the EPA’s goals when the proposed rule was announced. However, they also cautioned about the potential prohibitive costs associated with implementing the rule.
Fifteen Republican attorneys general, with Kris Kobach of Kansas at the helm, have voiced their criticism of the EPA rule, deeming it “unworkable, underfunded, and unnecessary.” These GOP officials have expressed concerns about the possibility of homeowners having to shoulder the cost of replacing pipe sections on their property, a requirement that Kobach argues Congress did not authorize. In response, the EPA has stated that communities will receive federal grants worth billions of dollars to assist in pipe replacement.
According to Regan, the advantages of the rule outweigh the drawbacks. He emphasized that the rule was strategically and legally implemented, with strong support from scientific evidence. He also highlighted the undeniable health benefits associated with this rule.
Finding the lead pipes poses another obstacle in the process. This month, cities are required to submit initial pipe inventories, but many have admitted to not knowing the composition of their pipes. Eric Schwartz, co-founder of BlueConduit, a company established after the Flint crisis to assist cities in locating their lead pipes, highlights the challenge of replacing them efficiently without accurate information about their whereabouts.
