Our View: Duluth not waiting to get the lead out

Duluth News Tribune
News Tribune Editorial Board

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No one living in one of the thousands of Duluth homes built before the Dust Bowl era was probably shocked last week by the city’s “worrisome news,” as the News Tribune described an announcement.

Mayor Emily Larson, Public Works and Utilities Director Jim Benning, and others shared at a press conference that lead levels in older homes in the city are likely to be out of compliance under new rules for lead exposure in drinking water that are set to be put into effect by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2024.

While the high quality of drinking water in Duluth “has not changed,” and while the city remains “in full compliance with EPA and state regulations related to all of our standards for drinking water,” as Benning noted, under the new rules, the city likely would be required to take action.