President Sets New Deadline for Replacing Lead Pipes

President Biden announced a 10-year deadline (starting three years from now) for U.S. cities to replace lead pipes in an effort to ensure safe drinking water, according to a report by Matthew Daly and Michael Phillis for the Associated Press. The rule replaces a less stringent standard set by the previous administration that did not require replacing lead pipes.

According to the EPA, the changes mandated by the new rule could prevent up to 900,000 infants from having low birth weight and avoid up to 1,500 premature deaths per year.

The new rule limits lead to levels of 10 parts per billion, down from 15 parts per billion previously. The rule also calls for cities to notify the public if higher levels of lead are found and to provide ways to limit lead exposure.

The cost of replacing lead pipes can be extremely high. In addition to $15 billion allocated to the issue in the 2021 infrastructure law, the administration is making another $2.6 billion available for drinking water infrastructure.