Some states reject federal money to find and replace dangerous lead pipes
1 year, 4 months ago

Some states reject federal money to find and replace dangerous lead pipes

Associated Press  

ST. LOUIS — As the Biden administration makes billions of dollars available to remove millions of dangerous lead pipes that can contaminate drinking water and damage brain development in children, some states are turning down funds. Maine, which banned lead pipes far earlier than most states, said other funds would be used for inventories and they didn’t have lead replacement projects ready to fund. The EPA offered early funds based on a state’s general drinking water infrastructure needs — not the number of lead pipes. Carrie Bohan, facilities program manager in the division of water at the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, said utilities’ demand for loans to inventory their systems for lead pipes is “very, very small.” But over five years, there will be plenty of federal funds available to find the small number of lead pipes in Alaska and replace them. The higher estimate meant Florida would get more funds, but the state objected, arguing its utilities would find far more lead in the tap water if it really had that many lead pipes.

Florida Water States Utilities Michigan Oregon State Maine Million Funds Some States Lead Pipes Epa Finn Federal Funds Replace Federal Money Dangerous Lead Pipes Dangerous Lead  funds  million  replace  water  reject  epa  state  utilities  states  dangerous  lead  pipes  federal  money

History of this topic

Bad state data may misdirect nearly $1 billion in federal funds to replace lead pipes
2 months ago

Bad state data may misdirect nearly $1 billion in federal funds to replace lead pipes

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

EPA lead ruling unlikely to resolve water contamination issues in L.A. public housing
2 months ago

EPA lead ruling unlikely to resolve water contamination issues in L.A. public housing

LA Times  

Days after the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency visited a Los Angeles public housing project with lead-contaminated water, the agency ordered drinking water systems nationwide to replace every lead pipe within 10 years. Based on its review, the water department says “the remaining service lines can be assumed to be non-lead with a certain level of confidence.” The …

Are you living in a lead hotspot? Maps show where toxic metal pipes still contaminate drinking water as Biden promises to ban them within decade
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Are you living in a lead hotspot? Maps show where toxic metal pipes still contaminate drinking water as Biden promises to ban them within decade

Daily Mail  

The White House has pledged to replace all lead pipes within the next decade in an effort to curb health effects linked to drinking water contaminated with the toxic metal. Chicago Bureau of Water Supply had the most at 387,095, while Cleveland Water and the New York City System followed closely behind at 235,442 and 111,616, respectively September 2024 data …

Watchdog: EPA’s lead pipe fix sent about $3 billion to states based on unverified data
7 months, 1 week ago

Watchdog: EPA’s lead pipe fix sent about $3 billion to states based on unverified data

Associated Press  

ST. LOUIS — The Environmental Protection Agency distributed about $3 billion to states last year to replace harmful lead pipes based on unverified data, according to an agency inspector general’s memo, likely meaning some states got too much money and others got too little. The agency said it disagrees with several aspects of the inspector general’s memo, saying its estimate …

Cities must replace harmful lead pipes within 10 years under new Biden administration plan
1 year ago

Cities must replace harmful lead pipes within 10 years under new Biden administration plan

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Most U.S. cities would have to replace lead water pipes within 10 years under strict new rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency as the Biden administration moves to reduce lead in drinking water and prevent public health crises like the ones in Flint, Michigan and Washington, D.C. Millions of people consume drinking water from lead pipes and …

Biden administration proposes strictest lead pipe rules in more than three decades
1 year ago

Biden administration proposes strictest lead pipe rules in more than three decades

NPR  

Biden administration proposes strictest lead pipe rules in more than three decades Enlarge this image toggle caption Seth Wenig/AP Seth Wenig/AP Most U.S. cities would have to replace lead water pipes within 10 years under strict new rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency as the Biden administration moves to reduce lead in drinking water and prevent public health crises …

EPA to strengthen lead protections in drinking water after multiple crises, including Flint
1 year, 1 month ago

EPA to strengthen lead protections in drinking water after multiple crises, including Flint

Associated Press  

About four decades ago, when the Environmental Protection Agency was first trying to figure out what to do about lead in drinking water, Ronnie Levin quantified its damage: Roughly 40 million people drank water with dangerous levels of lead, degrading the intelligence of thousands of kids. The CDC made matters worse, she said, when it published a March 2004 dispatch …

Takeaways from AP’s investigation into cities leaving lead pipe in the ground
1 year, 5 months ago

Takeaways from AP’s investigation into cities leaving lead pipe in the ground

Associated Press  

There are 9.2 million lead pipes in the U.S. UTILITIES SAY IT’S COMPLICATED Removing lead pipes isn’t just the responsibility of the utility, but also individuals and government, said Steve Via, director of government relations at the American Water Works Association, a group that represents utilities. He said divided ownership of lead pipes, is “still a barrier to full lead …

Here’s why there is still so much lead pipe in Chicago
1 year, 5 months ago

Here’s why there is still so much lead pipe in Chicago

Associated Press  

Even though lead in drinking water damages children’s development, the Environmental Protection Agency has forced very few cities to replace their lead pipes. Miguel Del Toral, a former EPA regulations manager who was also a whistleblower on the Flint, Michigan lead pipe disaster, said Chicago ignored the toxic effects of lead in drinking water. Two Chicago residents filed a proposed …

Decades after the dangers of lead became clear, some cities are leaving lead pipe in the ground
1 year, 5 months ago

Decades after the dangers of lead became clear, some cities are leaving lead pipe in the ground

Associated Press  

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Prandy Tavarez and his wife were expecting a baby when they bought a four-bedroom house in a well-kept neighborhood of century-old homes here. Colleen Colarusso, shows a water purification carafe and filters received from Providence Water after being alerted of health concerns from her residential water delivered through lead pipes, in the kitchen of her home, Thursday, …

Rhode Island lawmakers OK bill requiring replacement of lead pipes
1 year, 6 months ago

Rhode Island lawmakers OK bill requiring replacement of lead pipes

Associated Press  

A bill that would require the replacement of lead pipes across Rhode Island over the next decade has been approved by state lawmakers. The bill that passed the House on Thursday would create a lead water supply replacement program for both public and private service lines, with a requirement that all affected lines be replaced within 10 years. Under the …

In a first, EPA survey puts a number on lead pipes around US
1 year, 8 months ago

In a first, EPA survey puts a number on lead pipes around US

Associated Press  

Some 9.2 million lead pipes carry water into homes across the U.S., with more in Florida than any other state, according to a new Environmental Protection Agency survey that will dictate how billions of dollars to find and replace those pipes are spent. The agency’s drinking water infrastructure survey will be used to steer billions of dollars from the Bipartisan …

Denver gets go-ahead from EPA after progress on lead pipes
2 years ago

Denver gets go-ahead from EPA after progress on lead pipes

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Denver gets go-ahead from EPA after progress on lead pipes
2 years ago

Denver gets go-ahead from EPA after progress on lead pipes

Associated Press  

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday approved a nearly $700 million plan to remove all lead water pipes in the Denver region, saying the local water utility’s approach for reducing lead levels is succeeding and making swift progress. Denver’s water had high levels of lead a decade ago, testing showed. “We have to instill enough trust in our customers that …

Accelerated Benton Harbor lead pipe replacements nearly done
2 years, 1 month ago

Accelerated Benton Harbor lead pipe replacements nearly done

Associated Press  

Michigan officials said Wednesday that nearly all of the lead pipes in Benton Harbor, Michigan, have been replaced roughly a year after a lead water crisis forced residents to avoid their tap water and use bottled water for simple tasks like cooking and drinking. For three straight years, tests of Benton Harbor’s water system revealed lead levels in its tap …

Some cities could be left behind on lead pipe replacements
2 years, 3 months ago

Some cities could be left behind on lead pipe replacements

Associated Press  

ST. LOUIS — In many cities, no one knows where the lead pipes lie underground. That’s important because lead pipes contaminate drinking water. Scattershot record keeping means many cities don’t know which of their water pipes are made of lead versus PVC or copper. Local officials can start replacement work before they complete a detailed inventory, but it helps to …

EPA confirms filters reduce lead in Michigan city’s water
2 years, 9 months ago

EPA confirms filters reduce lead in Michigan city’s water

Associated Press  

ST. LOUIS — The filters distributed in Benton Harbor, Michigan during the city’s recent lead water crisis worked properly, according to a study state officials said was conducted to give residents assurance. “We found that properly operated filters were successful in reducing lead considerably and consistently,” said Tera Fong, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s water division director for the region …

EPA details push to tighten rules for lead in drinking water
3 years ago

EPA details push to tighten rules for lead in drinking water

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration took steps Thursday aimed at reducing lead in drinking water, announcing plans to release $2.9 billion in infrastructure bill funds next year for lead pipe removal and impose stricter rules to limit exposure to the health hazard. The Biden EPA’s requirements are expected to be finalized by 2024, and would require the replacement of remaining …

Tests show lead in Benton Harbor tap water finally dropping
3 years ago

Tests show lead in Benton Harbor tap water finally dropping

Associated Press  

ST. LOUIS — The amount of lead in Benton Harbor, Michigan’s drinking water has declined, new testing shows, after three straight years of elevated results compelled residents to consume bottled water and prompted a hurried effort to replace old pipes. The state provides free bottled water for Benton Harbor’s residents, but picking it up can be time consuming and tasks …

On Lead, Michigan's Drinking Water Might Look Safer Than It Really Is
3 years ago

On Lead, Michigan's Drinking Water Might Look Safer Than It Really Is

Huff Post  

Carlos Ciudad Photography via Getty Images This story is co-published with Planet Detroit. Bill Pugliano via Getty Images In response to public health advocates’ concerns about methodology, McDiarmid said EGLE “enforces the requirement of the state Lead & Copper rule, so we’re working within the regulatory framework we are given.” Betanzo said officials at all levels of government likely allow …

Michigan city on edge as lead water crisis persists
3 years, 1 month ago

Michigan city on edge as lead water crisis persists

Associated Press  

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Shortly after sunrise on a recent Saturday in Benton Harbor, Michigan, residents began lining up for free bottled water so they could drink and cook without fear of the high levels of lead in the city’s tap water. But Benton Harbor’s water source, Lake Michigan, is considered safe and many other places get their water there, …

Michigan city on edge as lead water crisis persists
3 years, 1 month ago

Michigan city on edge as lead water crisis persists

Associated Press  

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Shortly after sunrise on a recent Saturday in Benton Harbor, Michigan, residents began lining up for free bottled water so they could drink and cook without fear of the high levels of lead in the city’s tap water. On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency identified a range of violations at Benton Harbor’s water facility — problems …

Michigan city with lead in water ordered to fix water plant
3 years, 1 month ago

Michigan city with lead in water ordered to fix water plant

Associated Press  

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — A Michigan city that is urging residents not to drink tap water failed to timely warn people about high levels of lead and must make improvements at the water plant, federal regulators said Tuesday after an inspection revealed a variety of problems. The Environmental Protection Agency said the situation was dire enough to order Benton Harbor …

Michigan official: Benton Harbor water woes ‘inexcusable’
3 years, 2 months ago

Michigan official: Benton Harbor water woes ‘inexcusable’

Associated Press  

State officials on Thursday defended their response to a lead crisis in a small southwestern Michigan city, telling lawmakers that steps to reduce corrosion in aging water pipes began in 2019, just a few months after tests revealed troubling results. Benton Harbor residents will be urged to use free bottled water for drinking and cooking for weeks more, until a …

City in Michigan urged to use bottled water due to lead risk
3 years, 2 months ago

City in Michigan urged to use bottled water due to lead risk

Associated Press  

DETROIT — Michigan on Wednesday urged residents of Benton Harbor to use only bottled water for cooking and drinking, a major shift in response to the city’s elevated levels of lead. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it’s evaluating how filters perform specifically on Benton Harbor’s water chemistry. “Certified filters that are properly installed and maintained are very effective in …

Michigan sending water, filters to Benton Harbor due to lead
3 years, 3 months ago

Michigan sending water, filters to Benton Harbor due to lead

Associated Press  

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — The state of Michigan will provide bottled water and water filters in Benton Harbor, where tests have revealed elevated levels of lead, a spokesman said Wednesday. The Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy will provide bottled water and go door-to-door to ensure proper installation of faucet filters, spokesman Scott Dean told the Detroit Free Press. …

Groups seek federal help with lead in Michigan city’s water
3 years, 3 months ago

Groups seek federal help with lead in Michigan city’s water

Associated Press  

Advocacy groups are urging the Biden administration to help provide safe drinking water in Benton Harbor, a low-income, predominantly Black city in southwestern Michigan where tests repeatedly have shown excessive lead levels in the water supply. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy “has been working diligently” with Benton Harbor to reduce lead contamination, spokesman Scott Dean said …

Whitmer proposes spending $200M to replace lead water pipes
3 years, 3 months ago

Whitmer proposes spending $200M to replace lead water pipes

Associated Press  

LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday proposed spending $200 million in federal pandemic relief funding to replace lead water pipes across Michigan, where aging underground infrastructure was exposed by Flint’s disaster. That year, Michigan began enforcing the nation’s strictest rules for lead in drinking water in the wake of the crisis in Flint, another impoverished city with a …

EXPLAINER: Infrastructure deal targets lead pipes
3 years, 5 months ago

EXPLAINER: Infrastructure deal targets lead pipes

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Included in the bipartisan infrastructure deal reached with President Joe Biden last week is a plan to eliminate the country’s remaining lead pipes and service lines, which for decades have posed a risk for contaminated water in millions of homes and schools. Lead can enter drinking water when water utility pipes or the service lines that connect to …

The problem within: Biden targets lead pipes, pushes equity
3 years, 8 months ago

The problem within: Biden targets lead pipes, pushes equity

Associated Press  

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 …

Critics say EPA allowing more time to fix lead-tainted water
4 years ago

Critics say EPA allowing more time to fix lead-tainted water

Associated Press  

The Trump administration overhauled the country’s widely criticized, 29-year-old framework to eliminate toxic lead from drinking water on Tuesday, but critics charge that the new rule gives utilities far more time than before to finally replace old, lead-contaminated pipes. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler said Tuesday the new regulation, proposed by the agency in 2019, “requires more replacements than …

EPA Awards $1.9 Million to Virginia Tech Researcher to Study Lead in Water
6 years, 7 months ago

EPA Awards $1.9 Million to Virginia Tech Researcher to Study Lead in Water

CNN  

The EPA has awarded a $1.9 million grant to a researcher at Virginia Tech to study lead in water in American cities where residents are struggling to get help from their governments. The grant aims to develop a model to predict which cities are likely to have lead-tainted water, and then work with communities there to figure out if they …

Discover Related