Biden-Harris Administration Announces $29,917,000 for Maryland Lead Pipe Replacement to Advance Safe Drinking Water as Part of Investing in America Agenda

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $29,917,000 for Maryland Lead Pipe Replacement to Advance Safe Drinking Water as Part of 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

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Washington - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $29,917,000 from President Biden's Investing in America agenda to help Maryland 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."

"Across our region, states are getting boosts from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will improve lives, strengthen communities, and protect our most vulnerable populations," said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. "This funding brings us much closer to replacing all lead service lines throughout the nation."

"Everyone deserves clean, safe drinking water, no matter their zip code. The fast and equitable replacement of lead pipes is a public health imperative." said Senator Ben Cardin. "Thanks to historic investments in infrastructure by Congress and the Biden-Harris administration in Maryland and across the nation, we are eliminating lead service lines and removing risks to underserved communities."

"Lead water pipes are still in use in far too many of our communities, and particularly in those that have been historically underserved. This funding from the infrastructure modernization law is a historic investment in eliminating lead service lines along with the health risks they pose - and a key step toward ensuring the water Marylanders drink is safe," said Senator Chris Van Hollen.

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 memorandumthat 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 documentsto 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.

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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