The problem within: Biden targets lead pipes, pushes equity

CHICAGO — In the modest bungalows and two-flats of Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, there’s never a shortage of needed home repairs staring residents in the face. “The lead issue is not the one that’s right in front of you.” Given short shrift by public officials for decades, the lead pipes snaking through Chicago and communities of every size from rural Maine to suburban California are in the national spotlight now as President Joe Biden pushes to spend $45 billion to replace every lead water pipe in the country as part of his big infrastructure package. But with limited dollars, the city’s effort this year is expected to dig out about 650 lead water service lines — pipes under homes that connect to water mains. Marc Edwards, the Virginia Tech University civil and environmental engineer whose research helped expose Flint’s water crisis, estimates it probably would take 10 years to 15 years to replace all the nation’s lead pipes. Most homeowners in the working-class neighborhood don’t have the wherewithal to replace lead service lines on their own, Nieto said, adding that Biden’s plan “would go a long way.” Some of his neighbors are skeptical.