From the ground up: A guide to replacing the nation’s toxic lead pipes over the next decade
With the one-year anniversary of the Biden-Harris Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in the backdrop, we are reminded of the progress and potential of this moment - and the opportunity before us to replace toxic lead pipes quickly, efficiently, and equitably.
Despite an advantageous mix of funding, regulations, new technology, public opinion, and attention, is there enough momentum to rid the country of the century-old problem of toxic lead pipes? How do we ensure more communities across the country are on a path to lead-free drinking water? What are the policies, practices, partnerships, procurement practices, and innovations that need to be put in place to ensure that toxic lead pipes become a thing of the past?
EPIC’s report, From the Ground Up: A Guide to Replacing the Nation’s Toxic Lead Pipes Over the Next Decade, provides best practices for municipalities, utilities, and policymakers based on lessons learned from municipal water utilities, consultants, service providers, technology groups, engineering firms, community-based organizations (CBOs), labor representatives, and state and federal officials over the past two years. This report draws on EPIC’s work on the Lead-Free Water Challenge - a partnership project with BlueConduit, Center for Geospatial Solutions, and WaterPIO as well as communities working on lead service line replacement programs.
The following represent our top recommendations from this guide:
Elevate and support lead-free water champions.
Locate and map lead service lines quickly - and replace as you go.
Embrace new and emerging technologies to replace lead service lines.
Make information accessible to the public - before there’s a crisis.
Engage and make joint decisions with community partners.
Focus on equity and prioritizing at-risk populations in replacement efforts.
Develop a multi-year financing plan, taking advantage of multiple funding sources.
Advance equity, innovation, and efficiencies through contracting and better procurement.
Advance policy changes to ensure a more equitable distribution of funds.
Match the pace of lead pipe replacement with the urgency of the problem.