White House Announces Plan To Replace All Lead Pipes

The Biden administration announced its plan to replace every lead pipe in the country in an effort to make drinking water safer as part of the president’s infrastructure plan. Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to announce the details in a speech on Thursday.

There are roughly 6 to 10 million lead pipes across the country and replacing all of them will cost $60 billion, according to the American Waterworks Association. As many as 10 million households, offices, and schools are getting their drinking water through lead pipes.

Biden received $15 billion from Congress to replace the nation’s lead pipes after initially asking for $45 billion. The administration also plans to use another $15 billion for the Build Back Better bill, which has stalled in the Senate after passing the House.

“These game-changing investments will put American plumbers and pipefitters to work replacing all of America’s lead pipes and service lines and making other critical upgrades,” the White House said in a statement.

The plan comes as communities like Flint, Michigan have been struggling with a tainted water supply for the past six years. The problem has caused long-term chronic health problems due to the lead and bacteria in the water.

Citizens have been forced to line up and receive bottled water to drink, cook, and clean with. The administration does not have a time frame to replace the lead pipes but it hopes to do it as soon as “feasible.”

Erik D. Olson, the senior strategic director for health at the Natural Resources Defense Council told the New York Times, called the effort to replace all of the lead pipes a “once in a generation opportunity” and that many communities have been living with lead contamination for over 100 years.

“There is no safe level of exposure, and it is time to remove this risk to support thriving people and vibrant communities,” said Michael Regan, the administer of the EPA.