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WGEM
Clare Edlund Read the full article. MACOMB (WGEM) - Illinois community leaders have a big task ahead of them as they work to meet a state deadline to find, and create, a plan to replace lead water pipes. City leaders in Macomb said they’ve already replaced 700 lead lines over the past few years but don’t know how many they still need to replace. Mitchell Garrison, and his crewmates, worked Wednesday afternoon to finish replacing their last potential lead service line before freezing temperatures stop them. “The problem with lead is that it’s just bad, and there’s a lot of it in Macomb, more than I’ve seen any place else,” Garrison said. North Jersey
Steve Janoski Read the full article. The amount of lead in the drinking water that flows into thousands of North Jersey homes and businesses has fallen to its lowest level in at least 30 years, executives of the water utility Suez said Monday. The utility, which serves about 870,000 residents in Bergen and Hudson counties, said that it has spent $95 million over the past three years digging up and removing almost 8,000 lead pipes. Suez has also changed the way it treats water to make it less corrosive. The large water mains that run beneath streets do not contain lead. Instead, the smaller, old service lines about the width of a garden hose that connect the mains to homes and businesses contained lead. They are being replaced with new copper lines. Appleton Post-Crescent
Duke Behnke Read the full article. APPLETON - There's good news ahead for Appleton residents who have water service lines comprised of lead or galvanized steel leading into their homes. City officials are developing a program that would use federal and state money, including $1 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), to cover the cost of replacing those pipes on private property. The proposed program isn't based on income and would be open to all property owners in the city who are identified as having lead or galvanized service lines. Patch
Charles Woodman Read the full article. OLYMPIA, WA — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced a plan to send $63 million to Washington to aid the state in its effort to replace local lead water service lines. The Washington state Department of Health says that money should "greatly" speed its ongoing effort to remove lead from drinking water systems. "Lead in drinking water pipes and faucets threatens the health and well-being of children and families across Washington", said Lauren Jenks, Assistant Secretary of Environmental Public Health. "We are thankful to Congress, the Biden Administration and the EPA for moving quickly to make these funds available so we can ensure that every Washington resident can turn on their tap, confident that the water coming out is safe." EPA Press Office
Read the full statement. WASHINGTON (Dec. 16, 2021) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan announced that the agency will begin developing a new regulation to better protect communities from exposure to lead in drinking water. EPA is committed to using every tool available—statutory authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act, technical assistance, funding, and more—to protect all Americans from lead in drinking water. The agency will collaboratively work with local, state, and federal partners, to make rapid progress on President Biden’s goal to remove 100% of lead service lines, with a focus on prioritizing communities disproportionately impacted by lead contamination. “Over the past year, I have visited with and heard from communities in Chicago, Flint, Jackson, and many other areas that are impacted by lead in drinking water,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “These conversations have underscored the need to proactively remove lead service lines, especially in low-income communities. The science on lead is settled—there is no safe level of exposure and it is time to remove this risk to support thriving people and vibrant communities.” Fox 7
Digital Team Read the full article. AUSTIN, Texas - The state of Texas will be receiving over $500 million as part of the Biden-Harris administration's new Lead Pipe and Paint Action plan, says the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA has $15 billion funded for lead service lines, but has allocated $2.9 billion to replace lead pipes and remediate lead paint in homes in 2022 in support of the plan to accelerate investments to replace all lead pipes in the U.S. within the next decade. The EPA is calling on states to prioritize disadvantaged communities, those with the highest lead levels and those with environmental justice concerns. The total amount allotted to Texas for this project is $507,672,000 and $221,567,000 set aside for lead line replacement alone. 91.7 WVXU
Becca Costello Read the full article. Cincinnati will start covering the entire cost of replacing residential lead services lines as soon as next month. Council approved the plan in a 8-0 vote Wednesday. The city has nearly 40,000 private lead lines at risk of contaminating drinking water. A current city program will pay for up to half the cost of replacing lines on private property (40% for all residential property owners, and 45-50% for low-income property owners). "We had a customer assistance program that would help people as well, which gave them some additional assistance," said Cathy Bailey, executive director of Greater Cincinnati Water Works. "But even with that we still heard from customers that said, 'I still can't afford it.' " Cleveland
Peter Krouse Read the full article. CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland Water Department has been actively replacing lead water lines that serve licensed childcare centers in and around the city, but many such facilities that likely have lead lines still need to be inspected. And the city would like to hear from them. Earlier this year the city identified 436 childcare centers eligible to participate in a state-funded line replacement program. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has put up $1 million to perform the work and the state’s H2Ohio water quality program has kicked in $500,000. Watertown Daily Times
Amber Gerber Adams Publishing Group Read the full article. LAKE MILLS — When the lead-tainted water in Flint, Michigan came to the public eye in 2015, it prompted Lake Mills residents to voice concerns with the city’s test results indicating how much lead was found in the tap water. According to an April 2016 story from The Associated Press, 90% of the city’s lead levels in 2015 were 160 parts per billion – 10 times the amount allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA rules require 90% of water samples must have lead concentrations under 15 parts per billion. “The worst of the samples, which were gathered from taps in 40 homes last fall, tested at 870 parts per billion,” the AP story reported. MLive
Caitlyn French Read the full article. BAY CITY, MI — Bay City is looking to take out over $3 million in bonds to replace aging lead service lines in the city. However, city officials anticipate the amount will be forgiven. The Bay City Commission approved a resolution during the Monday, Dec. 6 meeting that authorized a “notice of intent to issue bonds” for a total of $3,015,000. The funding is through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) loan program from the state. These funds will be utilized to continue the replacement of lead service lines in the city, according to the agenda. While Bay City utilizes the loan program, it is anticipated the $3 million loan will be forgiven due to the community’s classification as a “financial disadvantaged” community, according to the city. The agenda item states there should be no required repayment of the amount being borrowed from the revolving fund loan program. |
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