Water Sector News
A snapshot of clean water stories from publications around the country, updated daily!
Cities: Don't dump costs of replacing lead pipes on local taxpayers
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed giving municipalities 10 years to replace lead pipes in their water infrastructure. Some think that timeline may be difficult to meet.
Communities across upstate New York have been working to address the issue of lead in water for years. Health experts say excessive lead exposure can put consumers at higher risk for health problems such as cancer, stroke and kidney disease.
But removing and replacing the water lines can be an expensive process, especially for a fiscally stressed city.
“It's going to cost close to $160 million to replace these lead service lines that we have in the city,” Poughkeepsie Mayor-elect Yvonne Flowers explained.
The challenge may be made even greater with a proposed rule that would give the city only 10 years to replace all of its lead pipes. Without major state and federal assistance, Flowers said it’s almost impossible for Poughkeepsie to budget that multi-million dollar tab.