The EPA set a deadline in October of this year for water utilities to find all the lead pipes in their systems. Then, they’ll have ten years to replace them.
President Biden announced investments of $79 million for lead pipe removal in North Carolina, making a combined $250 million available in the state.
“Today, 9 million led service lines connect water mains, to our homes, schools, daycare centers, businesses. That include some 300,000 lead service lines here in North Carolina alone,” he said.
The federal investments have already trickled down to the local level, with $4 million invested in helping Cape Fear Public Utility Authority identify and replace lead pipes. The utility was already doing the work, but now they’ve got the money to do it without passing the cost down to ratepayers.
While removing them is expensive, the advocacy organization Natural Resources Defense Council estimates $37 billion in cost savings every year from removing the pipes — mostly in the form of saving the lives and health of Americans.
