EPA sets lead pipe removal deadline, awards new funding

President Joe Biden has announced a 10-year deadline for public water systems across the country to replace lead service lines, a requirement aimed at ensuring safe drinking water for all Americans.

The Oct. 8 announcement of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Final Lead and Copper Rule Improvements was paired with an announcement that the EPA will invest an additional $2.6 billion nationwide for drinking water upgrades and lead pipe replacements, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The Healey-Driscoll administration said the EPA was awarding $53.5 million to Massachusetts cities and towns to help identify and address water contaminants like lead, PFAS and others.

The governor’s office said the funding is a part of the General Supplemental Drinking Water State Revolving Fund allotment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The funding will flow through the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust and is available to support drinking water infrastructure projects. Additionally, 49% of the funding must be provided to low-income communities as grant funding or principal forgiveness that does not have to be repaid.

“Massachusetts will put these funds to good use to protect the health and well-being of our communities and ensure everyone has clean drinking water,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a prepared statement.

Decades after the adverse health impacts of lead became clear, an estimated 9 million American households are still connected to drinking water through lead pipes and service lines, according to the EPA.

Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper pointed out that “communities of color and low-income neighborhoods disproportionately get their water from lead pipes or experience contamination from PFAS.” She said the new EPA rule and additional funding mark “a significant step forward.”

The EPA’s revised Lead and Copper Rule requires local public water systems to investigate the number of lead service lines in their water distribution system and report those findings to the state agency that oversees drinking water — in this case, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. All community public water systems and non-transient, non-community public water systems in Massachusetts were required to submit a service line inventory to the MassDEP by Oct. 16.

The EPA said its new rule requires more rigorous testing of drinking water and a lower threshold for communities to take action on lead in drinking water. It also seeks to improve communication within communities so that families are better informed about the risk of lead in drinking water, the location of lead pipes, and the plans for replacing them.

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

The EPA said the new Lead and Copper Rule establishes “achievable, common-sense practices” that have been implemented by several states and communities. The agency said the 10-year timeframe won’t start for three years, giving water utilities time to prepare.

While Massachusetts cities and towns share the EPA’s concerns about the public health impacts of lead in drinking water, the MMA seeks adequate funding to address the financial burden of new regulatory standards for public water systems. Investments through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are welcome, but may not be sufficient to cover projected needs.

Lead is a potent neurotoxin, and there is no safe level of lead exposure. In children, lead can severely harm mental and physical development, slow down learning, and irreversibly damage the brain. In adults, lead can cause increased blood pressure, heart disease, decreased kidney function, and cancer.

• Visit the MassDEP’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program website
• View the Biden administration briefing on the final rule to replace lead pipes within a decade and the new funding to deliver clean drinking water