The Flint water crisis is an example of how lead contamination can result in severe health conditions from the brain to heart damage that can have long-term effects, especially in children. Authorities have known lead’s adverse health effects as early as the 1920s, and many American cities have banned its use for piping as it can leach into drinking water, causing serious brain and heart damage (Where are America’s, 2021).
Why haven’t all the lead pipes been replaced yet if it is a public hazard?
Campbell & Wessel (2021) say that poor record-keeping in states is one reason. Some counties are not required to report blood lead testing to the CDC, making it hard to locate high-risk locations. Many cities lack comprehensive maps of where these services lines are placed (Campbell & Wessel, 2021).
Another significant barrier is the high cost of replacement. For example, Benton Harbor, Michigan, a city just 3 hours from Flint whose drinking water contains high lead levels, is looking at a $30 million cost of replacement – a price many times higher than their annual budget (Brown, 2021).
Swapping lead for copper pipes is expensive as it cost between $5000 and $11,000 to replace a single pipe. The EPA provides several federal and non-federal funding sources for lead service line replacement for cash-strapped cities or small and disadvantaged communities. These funds, which are not enough to cover all costs, have allowed cities to start replacement work.
Lead replacement in America’s cities
The Economist reports that government guidelines are giving American cities up to 33 years to replace all lead pipes in 50 states as all have got them. But lead replacement in the country comes at a snail-like pace – fewer than 800 a year, especially in Milwaukee, Buffalo, and Madison. Old cities are particularly afflicted with it, and Chicago comes at the top of the list for having the most lead pipes.
Newark success in its lead pipe replacement is a model for U.S. cities
But Newark could not wait any longer. The biggest city in New Jersey is almost finished replacing all its 18,000 lead service lines.
It has endured road closures and noise for two years. In the wake of the Flint crisis, the city started requiring water testing to increase testing and found that their lead levels were dangerously high.
A lawsuit ensued from the Natural Resources Defence Council (NDRC) and a caucus of teachers. They filed against the city in 2018 for failing to act quickly and violating the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Both parties settled the case in January 2021 and what followed was a high-speed rollout of lead replacement in the city.
A city ordinance that does not require homeowners’ permission (as three-quarters of Newark residents are renters and contacting every landlord would have delayed things) also helped speed things up.
Cost-benefit of replacing lead pipes
Campbell & Wessel (2021) share what they found out:
- The highly costly lead replacement is an investment worth making. For example, the 1987 EPA cost-benefit analysis shows that reducing 60% of lead in drinking water could save medical expenses, lower compensatory educational costs, and increase lifetime earnings at a 4 to 1 ratio.
- A 2019 Minnesota cost-benefit analysis shows that removing lead from all drinking water pipelines (costing from $1.5billion to $4.1 billion in 20 years) will improve mental acuity and IQ, resulting in increases in lifetime productivity, earnings and taxes paid (ranging from $4.2 billion to $8.5 billion).
- Another research from the Environmental Defense Fund shows that each lead service replacement would yield $22,000 in societal benefits from reduced deaths and cardiovascular diseases alone, or a return of $3 per dollar invested.
- This will make the bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law by President Joe Biden vitally important as it set aside $15 billion for lead-pipe replacements. Additionally, the proposed Build Back Better bill can also add nearly $10 billion on top of that.
The White House earlier estimated that the total lead-pipe replacements all over the country are at $45 billion, and this shows that the country still has some budget gaps to fill.
It would help to know where these pipes are located and apply asset management strategies that can help the cities and states optimize their spending and lead pipe replacement programs.
Sources:
Where are America’s lead pipes? (2021, December 2). The Economist. Retrieved from https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/12/02/where-are-americas-lead-pipes
Campell, S. & Wessel, D. (2021, November 8). What would it cost to replace all the nation’s lead water pipes? Brookings. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2021/05/13/what-would-it-cost-to-replace-all-the-nations-lead-water-pipes/
Brown, A. (2021, September 29). Lead Pipe Removal Speeds Up as Federal Stimulus Dollars Flow. PEW. Retrieved from https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2021/09/29/lead-pipe-removal-speeds-up-as-federal-stimulus-dollars-flow
Funding for Lead Service Line Replacement. (n.d.). EPA. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/funding-lead-service-line-replacement
Replacing lead pipes – a Newark success story. (2021 April 17). The Economist. Retrieved from https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/04/17/replacing-lead-pipes-a-newark-success-story
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