DETROIT (WXYZ) — Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal to strengthen its lead and copper rule for the first time in decades.
The new proposal would change the current action level for lead in drinking water from 15 parts per billion to 10 parts per billion (ppb). The proposal also requires cities to replace all lead service lines within ten years.
To help municipalities reach that goal, the Biden administration is now making $50 billion available to municipalities.
"I couldn’t be happier with what the EPA and the Biden administration have done. They’re making the dollars available to get lines out of these homes so the next generation doesn’t have to deal with lead," said Gary Brown with the City of Detroit's Water and Sewerage Department.
Brown says right now there are at least 80,000 lead service lines remaining in the city of Detroit. However, work to replace them is already underway. Brown says the city currently has a plan in place to replace 10,000 lead service lines each year for the next ten years. With the federal investment, the city says they will now be able to complete the same work without raising rates for residents.
Brown says because the state of Michigan set its action level for lead at 12 ppb following the Flint water crisis, the city of Detroit is already well under the new EPA standards.
"I know there will be some utilities that will struggle with the changes, but we’re not one of them. We’re already doing most of the things that EPA is asking utilities to do," said Brown. "It’s a game changer. First of all, we have a level of poverty that will not allow homeowners to pay to have this done. These are private lines for the most part. So, we’re going to do it at our costs."
According to the Biden administration, around 9.2 million American households are still connected to lead service lines and pipes. The issue disproportionately impacts low income communities and communities of color. Exposure to the neurotoxin can lead to brain damage.
Brown says the work to replace lead lines is well underway in Detroit. Neighbors should expect to see crews near them very soon.
