Funding to the tune of $45 million for the replacement of the country’s existing lead pipes is included in the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill proposed by President Biden and about to be voted on in Congress.
But according to a report issued by the American Water Works Association, the cost of locating and taking out those pipes, oftentimes found in some of the oldest sections of the nation’s oldest cities, may well exceed $60 million.
According to the AWWA, roughly 11,200 community water systems nationally have lead-containing service lines, serving around 293 million people.
Estimates for the actual number of those lines vary from 9 million to nearly 13 million, according to the National Resources Defense Council.
But such estimates, notes the Wall Street Journal, may not be entirely accurate for the simple reason that “Some states and cities don’t know the location of all of their lead service lines.”
Studies indicate that lead in drinking water can lead to increased blood pressure and hypertension in adults, while, according to a fact sheet released by the Environmental Protection Agency, contributing to “damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems” of children.
A White House document released earlier this year estimates that lead pipes today serve up to 400,000 schools and childcare centers.
Where exactly the funding will come from to launch a comprehensive lead pipe removal effort is somewhat uncertain. While $15 million is targeted in the President’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, another $30 million would come out of the larger, and more controversial, $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill.
Members of Congress are expected to vote on both the infrastructure and reconciliation bills during the final week of September.
By Garry Boulard