In October 2021, underground lead pipes were removed in Newark, New Jersey. Seth Wenig (AP)
Replacing the drinking water system in the United States may not seem like an easy task, but it is the only measure to prevent lead contamination, which is present in many pipes. The severe public health crisis in Flint, Michigan, a decade ago, with tens of thousands of cases of poisoning, showed that the real possibility of drinking contaminated tap water is increasing in low-income and traditionally marginalized neighborhoods and communities: African Americans, Latinos, etc. And also that the state of basic infrastructure in the leading global superpower leaves much to be desired, which is why President Joe Biden is determined to renew the existing infrastructure with his first major legislative package, the Infrastructure Act.
Now the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking to completely eliminate lead pipes to avoid the neurotoxin’s devastating effects, particularly on the most vulnerable children. The proposal, the most restrictive since federal regulations were introduced 30 years ago, would force water systems across the country to replace the pipes that deliver drinking water to faucets in homes, schools and offices. In total, more than nine million channels across the country.
The “vast majority” of pipes should be replaced within 10 years under improvements proposed in the new lead and copper law, the EPA announced Thursday. The agency’s initiative requires at least 10% of pipes to be replaced annually, with a goal of replacing 100% nationwide over the next decade. This dramatically updates a Trump-era regulation that took effect in 2021. Under the Republican mandate, the replacement rate was reduced to 3% per year, compared to 7% in the original 1991 rule on lead and copper use.
The main goal is to reduce lead levels in drinking water from 15 micrograms per liter to 10 micrograms per liter. That means water utilities must notify the public if water samples detect lead levels at or above the new maximum level. The infrastructure bill passed in 2021 allocates $15 billion for renovations, although the final cost is estimated at $20 billion to $30 billion, to be paid by utilities and indirectly by consumers. In a statement, the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies said that, faced with obstacles such as rising costs, supply chain problems, labor shortages and incomplete supplies, its members will need both technical assistance and more financial support from Washington to implement proposed regulations or to address non-existent layout requirements. Construction records.
According to the EPA, replacing pipes will provide “very significant improvements to public health.” The new scale “will force a significant number of water systems to adopt interim measures such as corrosion protection, even if the goal is to completely eliminate lead pipes.” The proposal, which is open to changes and public comment over the next 60 days, will be debated on January 16th.
The serious precedent of the Flint water crisis
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The Flint contaminated water scandal was one of the worst public health crises in the United States. Starting in 2014, it affected a marginalized community, predominantly African Americans, whose neighbors had previously been supplied with water from Detroit. To save money, the then Republican governor decided to supply the city with water from the harder and more corrosive Flint River. Lack of proper treatment resulted in lead being released through the city’s pipes and into the water flow and later into the blood of consumers. It is estimated that 30,000 of the approximately 100,000 residents were affected. Then-President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency, but it was too late: up to 8,000 children under the age of five could have been exposed to permanent brain damage due to high lead levels. At the end of 2021, the court awarded residents $626 million in compensation after more than five years of lawsuits and negotiations.
Minors are particularly affected by environmental pollution. Among the cases found in Flint, lead and copper were found in the blood, brain, bones and internal organs. The metals in the water had also caused skin lesions, hair loss, high blood pressure, seizures, vision and memory loss. Numerous episodes of depression, chronic anxiety and stress were also recorded. For months, residents had to cook and wash with bottled water.
“This proposal and these improvements will ensure that in the not-too-distant future there will never be another city or child poisoned by whistling,” Mona Hannah-Attisha, a Flint pediatrician, said in a phone call with reporters by EPA officials.