There is no safe level of lead, and children are most susceptible to lead's harmful health effects. Across the United States, an estimated 9.2 million homes in over 11,000 communities still get their drinking water from lead pipes that connect the main drinking water line in the street to homes and buildings.
EPA just proposed new regulations to get the lead out of America's drinking water. If approved, water utilities will have to replace all their lead pipes, most within the next 10 years. The new rule will also lower the action level from 15 to 10 parts per billion, triggering more aggressive action when sampling finds high levels of lead.
This new proposal is a long time coming—and the resulting socioeconomic benefits will amount to a whopping 8 to 12 times the annual cost of replacement. We applaud EPA for taking this important step to protect Americans – both children and adults – from this longstanding environmental injustice.
Tell EPA you support strong regulations to make our drinking water safer.
Thank you for your recently announced proposal to replace 100% of lead pipes for the vast majority of water systems by 2037 and strictly limit partial replacements. Recognizing that there is no safe level of exposure to lead, EPA must adopt strong standards that help our nation address one of the biggest environmental injustices of our time—exposure to toxic lead pipes. That is why I'm writing to show my support.
The numerous public health and socioeconomic benefits this proposed rule would bring—such as prioritizing replacements for those who are disproportionately impacted by lead and lowering the action level—are a strong step in the right direction.
Please continue to engage with communities and adopt strong standards that address lead pipes in the most transparent, equitable, and expedited way possible. I encourage you to act with urgency to protect public health by finalizing the most ambitious rule possible by October 2024.
