EPA Announces More Than $240 Million for Illinois Lead Pipe Replacement to Advance Safe Drinking Water as Part of the Biden-Harris Administration Investing in America Agenda

EPA announces latest round of funding toward President Biden's commitment to replace every lead pipe in the nation, protecting public health and helping to deliver safe drinking water

May 2, 2024

CHICAGO (May 2, 2024)- Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $240,899,000 from President Biden's Investing in America agenda to help Illinois identify and replace lead service lines, preventing exposure to lead in drinking water. Lead can cause a range of serious health impacts, including irreversible harm to brain development in children. To protect children and families, President Biden has committed to replacing every lead pipe in the country. Today's announcement, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and available through EPA's successful Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), takes another major step to advance this work and the Administration's commitment to environmental justice. This funding builds on the Administration's Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan and EPA's Get the Lead Out Initiative.

Working collaboratively, EPA and the State Revolving Funds are advancing the President's Justice40 Initiative to ensure that 40% of overall benefits from certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. Lead exposure disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income families. The total funding announced through this program to date is expected to replace up to 1.7 million lead pipes nationwide, securing clean drinking water for countless families.

"The science is clear, there is no safe level of lead exposure, and the primary source of harmful exposure in drinking water is through lead pipes,"said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "President Biden understands it is critical to identify and remove lead pipes as quickly as possible, and he has secured significant resources for states and territories to accelerate the permanent removal of dangerous lead pipes once and for all."

"Today's announcement demonstrates President Biden's commitment to improving the lives of our state's vulnerable residents," said Gov. JB Pritzker. "Thanks to the Investing in America agenda, Illinois will receive $241 million, the most of any state, to equitably identify and replace lead pipes statewide."

"Access to clean, safe drinking water is not just a basic necessity; it is a fundamental human right that every individual in America deserves," said Sen. Dick Durbin. "Congress passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law knowing how our communities, especially those in underserved areas, continue to live with the threat of lead contaminating their drinking water. By dedicating federal funding to the identification and replacement of lead service lines, communities can prioritize eliminating this public health threat once and for all. These critical projects made possible by this federal funding will help thwart preventable health issues and build stronger, more resilient communities for generations to come."

"I'm pleased to see this significant EPA investment-funded by my Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act law-in Illinois to help communities across our state get the lead out of drinking water and protect our children from lead poisoning," said Sen. Tammy Duckworth. "Every American-regardless of their race, income or zip code-deserves to know that the water their families are drinking is safe, clean and reliable, and I will keep working with the Biden Administration to ensure we eliminate lead service lines nationwide as soon as possible."

"I am thrilled that the state of Illinois is set to receive over $240 million to replace toxic lead service lines. With more than one million lead pipes in Illinois, the second-highest number in the nation, this funding will be critical to help ensure safe and clean drinking water for all Illinoisans and their families - an effort I have championed for many years," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky. "Thanks to President Joe Biden's Infrastructure Law, $15 billion dollars is being allocated nationwide to help remove lead service lines, helping communities across the nation better access clean drinking water. Our children deserve a safe and sustainable environment. We must keep up the fight."

"No matter where you live, everyone should have access to clean, safe drinking water. Today's announcement is another win in the fight to see this mission through and replace dangerous lead service lines in Illinois. This is just one example of the life changing benefits we are witnessing as a result of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law," said Rep. Mike Quigley. "I would like to commend the EPA and the Biden Administration for taking real action and continuing their commitment to a future in which access to safe drinking water is a right, not a privilege."

"Everyone deserves safe drinking water. Unfortunately, that is not the case for far too many people in Illinois, which has more lead pipes than any other state. These funds are fundamental to addressing a legacy of disinvestment in our infrastructure,"said Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García. "I'm proud to have helped pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and I look forward to continuing the work of building a more just infrastructure future."

"Safe, clean drinking water should be a right for every community. I'm proud that Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is continuing to benefit Illinois families and deliver over $240 million to replace lead service lines and prevent exposure to lead," said Rep. Robin Kelly. "Lead service lines disproportionately impact low-income communities and communities of color. This investment furthers President Biden and Democrats' commitment to health equity and delivers real results for our neighborhoods."

"When my neighbors turn on their faucets, they should be able to trust that the water coming out of it is safe for their kids to drink," said Rep. Eric Sorensen. "Central and Northwestern Illinois has some of the highest number of lead pipes throughout the entire nation. This critical funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law coming to Illinois will ensure that our drinking water is safe, and it will keep our communities healthy."

"Access to safe, potable water is a human right! I am thrilled to be working with the Administration to bring home $240 million in much-needed funding to replace lead service lines and ensure the health, dignity, and prosperity of families in our state," said Rep. Delia C. Ramirez. "This funding adds to the more than $15.7 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding that has been already announced to transform our communities with safer roads, sustainable transportation, and healthier families."

"Illinois has among the highest concentration of lead service lines in the United States, a problem that affects the health of millions of people,"said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi. "As a proud supporter of President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I'm elated to join the EPA and my fellow members of Congress in announcing that Illinois will receive more than $240 million from the EPA's Lead Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to ensure that Illinois has the resources to identify, remove, and replace lead service lines. This latest action will prevent exposure to lead in drinking water for countless communities across Illinois, and I look forward to our state and local partners swiftly implementing these projects."

"We are pleased to see the additional federal funds coming to Illinois, and grateful that USEPA continues to refine the lead service line allotments to reflect a more equitable distribution of funds for the states and communities most in need," said Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim. "The additional funding to Illinois's State Revolving Fund is vital to our community water supplies as they undertake the crucial task of removing lead service lines."

President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests a historic $15 billion to identify and replace lead service lines. The law mandates that 49% of funds provided through the DWSRF General Supplemental Funding and DWSRF Lead Service Line Replacement Funding must be provided as grants and forgivable loans to disadvantaged communities, a crucial investment for communities that have been underinvested in for too long. EPA projects a national total of 9 million lead services lines across the country, based on data collected from the updated 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment. The funding announced today will be provided specifically for lead service line identification and replacement and will help every state and territory fund projects to remove lead pipes and reduce exposure to lead from drinking water.

The Lead Service Line-specific formula used to allot these funds allows states to receive financial assistance commensurate with their need as soon as possible, furthering public health protection nationwide. The formula and allotments are based on need - meaning that states with more projected lead service lines receive proportionally more funding.

Alongside the funding announced today, EPA is also releasing a new memorandum that clarifies how states can use this and other funding to most effectively reduce exposure to lead in drinking water. Additionally, EPA has developed new outreach documents to help water systems educate their customers on drinking water issues, health impacts of lead exposure, service line ownership, and how customers can support the identification of potential lead service lines in their homes.

To view more stories about how the unpreceded investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are transforming communities across the country, visit EPA's Investing in America's Water Infrastructure Story Map. To read more about some additional projects that are underway, see EPA's recently released Quarterly Report on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funded Clean Water and Drinking Water SRF projects and explore the State Revolving Funds Public Portal.

Today's allotments are based on EPA's updated 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment (DWINSA) including an assessment of newly submitted information. To date, this is the best available data collected and assessed on service line materials in the United States. Later this summer, EPA will release an addendum to the 7th DWINSA Report to Congress which will include the updated lead service line projections. EPA anticipates initiating data collection, which will include information on lead service lines, for the 8th DWINSA in 2025.

For more information, including state-by-state allotment of 2024 funding, and a breakdown of EPA's lead Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, please visit EPA's Drinking Water website.

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