Most Communities Across the Nation Would Have to Replace Lead Pipes Within the Next Decade Under a Proposal Announced by the EPA

Saturday, December 2nd, 2023 -- 7:14 AM

(Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio) -Most communities across the nation would have to replace lead pipes within the next decade under a proposal announced by the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, with the agency estimating there are 341,000 lead lines in Wisconsin.

The EPA wants to tighten standards after the Trump administration revised the agency’s Lead and Copper rule, which was first enacted in 1991. The agency's plan would lower the level that triggers action to address lead pipes from 15 parts per billion to 10 parts per billion. Beyond that level, water systems would have to install or make changes to treatment to reduce lead in drinking water. The changes would also require water utilities to locate lead pipes, improve drinking water sampling, and provide filters to customers when systems exceed action levels for lead multiple times. More than 9 million lead service lines exist nationwide. The most recent estimates from the Public Service Commission are lower than the EPA estimates for the state, showing Wisconsin water utilities have around 158,000 lead lines. Evan Feinauer, staff attorney for Clean Wisconsin, said the accelerated timeline for replacing lead lines is significant. He said it would take decades longer under the existing rule. "It's what everybody's been asking for for a very long time," Feinauer said. "That there'll be something that's much more proactive and aggressive about getting these service lines out of the ground."

Lead in paint and dust are the primary source of lead exposure in Wisconsin, but water crises like the one in Flint, Michigan, have highlighted the ongoing problem with lead in drinking water. Lead exposure can damage the brain and kidneys, and children with lead poisoning can experience learning and behavioral issues. There is no safe level of lead despite the higher regulatory thresholds that trigger steps to address lead in drinking water. The lead crisis has hit communities of color the hardest in Wisconsin. Black children under the age of six are four times more likely to test positive for lead poisoning than white children, according to data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Black children have a lead poisoning rate of 6.5 percent. Lead poisoning rates are twice as high among American Indian children, and higher rates also exist among Asian and Hispanic children than their white counterparts.

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