Biden sets 10-year deadlines for the replacement of lead pipes in the U.S
Water Resources Reform for Human Abundances. The Bipartisan Infrastructure and Drinking Water Rule Announcements in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, March 21st
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.
The new drinking water rule and funding announcement will be discussed by President Joe Biden when he visits Milwaukee today. The EPA has changed its lead pipes replacement deadline from 60 years to 10 years, and the city has been able to speed up the replacement program. The EPA said it received $30 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure law to replace 3,400 lead service lines.
There is no safe level of lead exposure. Lead exposure raises the risk of heart disease, cancer, and other health issues in adults. Being exposed to lead can affect brain development in a child, leading to behavioral changes such as difficulty concentrating. Since people can store lead in their bodies, adults might later expose a fetus to the toxic metal during pregnancy.
Biden sets 10-year deadline for U.S. cities to replace lead pipes nationwide: A resolution of a problem that Congress isn’t
The action taken by the EPA today is a leap forward in protection of the health of tens of millions of Americans from this harmful pollutant.
What is the purpose of a government if it can’t protect public health? Biden asked a crowd of union members at a cavernous Department of Public Works warehouse in Milwaukee. The city has the fifth-highest number of lead pipes in the nation, according to the EPA.
He said that they were finally addressing an issue that had been a problem for a long time. We are going to work together to get it done.
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 agency is giving more money for drinking water infrastructure through the bipartisan infrastructure law. The agency also is awarding $35 million in competitive grants for programs to reduce lead in drinking water.
Water utilities can prepare for the 10-year time period because it won’t start for three years. A limited number of cities with large volumes of lead pipes may be given a longer timeframe to meet the new standard.
The EPA rule was criticized by a group of fifteen Republican attorneys general, including Kris Kobach of Kansas. The GOP officials said they are concerned that homeowners in some places might have to pay to replace pipe sections under their property – a requirement Kobach said Congress did not authorize. Federal grants worth billions of dollars will help communities replace their pipes, the EPA said, but cost decisions ultimately are up to local utilities.
Source: Biden sets 10-year deadline for U.S. cities to replace lead pipes nationwide
How Smart is the State of the Art? The Impact of the Affordable Pipeline Reconstruction Rule on Cities’ Substance Abundances and Pipe Replacement
The rule’s benefits are far outweigh its costs, according to Regan. “We believe we’ve done it in a very strategic way — a legally sound way — supported by the science,” he said.
Another hurdle is finding the lead pipes. Many cities don’t know what substances their pipes are made of, because initial pipe inventories are due this month. Without knowing their location, it is hard to efficiently replace them, according to Eric Schwartz, co-founder of BlueConduit, a company formed in response to the Flint crisis that helps cities find their lead pipes.
US Vice President Joe Biden has announced that the country’s cities will be required to replace lead pipes in drinking water by the end of the next decade. The new rule will require water systems to ensure that lead concentrations don’t exceed an action level of 10 parts per billion, down from 15 parts per billion under the current standard.