Lead Pipe Removal Speeds Up as Federal Stimulus Dollars Flow

The Pew Charitable Trust
Alex Brown

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Since 2018, tests have found that scores of homes in Benton Harbor, Michigan, have dangerously high lead levels in their drinking water. With nearly 6,000 known lead service pipes in the city, local officials were left staring at a $30 million problem—a cost many times greater than their annual budget.

The city found some help with a $5.6 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and another $3 million grant from the state. But leaders really began to feel hopeful earlier this month when Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a $200 million proposal for lead pipe replacement throughout the state, including $20 million for Benton Harbor, using federal American Rescue Plan Act money.