EPA Requires Replacement of All US Lead Pipes in a Decade

On Oct. 8, the Biden-Harris Administration issued a final rule requiring drinking water systems nationwide to identify and replace lead pipes within the next decade. The Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) also require more rigorous testing of drinking water and a lower threshold compelling communities to take action to protect people from lead exposure in water.

In addition, the final rule improves communication within communities so that families are better informed about the risk of lead in drinking water, the location of lead pipes, and plans for replacing them.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also is announcing US$2.6 billion in newly available drinking water infrastructure funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding will flow through the drinking water state revolving funds (DWSRFs) and is available to support lead pipe replacement and inventory projects. Additionally, 49% of the funding must be provided to disadvantaged communities as grant funding or principal forgiveness that does not have to be repaid.

The EPA is also announcing the availability of $35 million in competitive grant funding for reducing lead in drinking water. Communities are invited to apply directly for grant funding through this program. Additional federal funding is available to support lead pipe replacement projects. The EPA has developed a website identifying available funding sources.

The EPA estimates that up to 9 million homes are served through legacy lead pipes across the country, many of which are in lower-income communities and communities of color, creating disproportionate lead exposure burden for these families. Lead is a potent neurotoxin and no safe level of lead exposure exists, particularly for children. 

“The EPA’s new lead rule will begin to reverse the massive public health disaster of lead-contaminated tap water that has affected generations of our children,” said Manish Bapna, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) president and CEO. “Every person has a right to safe and affordable drinking water, no matter their race, income, or zip code. NRDC has had the privilege of working with residents of Flint, Newark, Chicago, and beyond to help secure this meaningful rule and stop the flow of toxic lead from the tap into water glasses in homes across the nation.”