In final rule, EPA calls for removal of all U.S. lead pipes within decade Reuters

(Reuters) – The Biden administration finalized a landmark rule on Tuesday that would require water utilities to replace virtually every lead pipe in the country within 10 years, addressing a major threat that is especially dangerous to infants and children.

The White House has made eliminating every lead pipe in the United States within 10 years a centerpiece of its plan to address racial disparities and environmental problems in the wake of water contamination crises in recent years, from Newark, New Jersey to Flint, Michigan.

“We’ve known for decades that lead exposure has a serious long-term impact on children’s health. And yet millions of lead service lines still deliver drinking water to homes,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “President Biden is ending this generational public health problem.

President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Wisconsin to promote the new policy, widely seen as popular in the industrial Midwest states, which is expected to play a major role in deciding next month’s presidential election.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running for president in November, also called for replacing lead pipes, a particularly important issue for underserved communities.

The rule, originally proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2023, imposes the strictest limits on lead in drinking water since federal standards were first established decades ago and requires utilities to review their systems and replace them in the next 10 years.

The bipartisan Infrastructure Act of 2021 provided $50 billion to support the modernization of the nation’s drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, including $15 billion over five years dedicated to replacing lead service lines.

Lead poisoning can cause irreversible damage to the nervous system and brain and poses a particular risk to infants and children. Service lines that bring water into homes are considered to be a major source of lead exposure.

The dangers of lead contamination came to the fore in Flint, Michigan a decade ago.