Almost 50 years ago, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) giving a mandate to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to keep our drinking water safe. Congress banned the installation of lead pipes to deliver drinking water in 1986 because it recognized the dangers of lead exposure. However, millions across the country still have lead service lines that were installed before the Congressional ban, delivering unsafe water to their homes decades later.

In November 2023, the EPA released a proposed overhaul of the Lead and Copper Rule, which will require water utilities to replace all lead service lines in the next ten years. This proposal is an essential step toward solving the lead-contaminated drinking water crisis.

We need strong solutions for getting the lead out of drinking water to protect our health and advance environmental justice priorities. No level of lead in drinking water is safe. Even low levels of lead present risk of significant harm.

The Biden administration’s updated proposal will work to swiftly remove lead from our drinking water, but we can’t stop there. The comment period has now closed and comment letters can no longer be submitted.