EPA sets 20-year deadline for Chicago to replace lead pipes

CHICAGO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a new rule on lead in drinking water on Tuesday. While the new policy includes a 10-year deadline for most water utilities to replace lead service lines, it sets a 20-year deadline for Chicago, which has over 400,000 lead service lines, more than any other city in the country. Under a previous draft of the rule, Chicago would have had up to 50 years to replace all lead service lines.

This deadline is a significant step for public health as these approximately 9 million toxic pipes are the single largest source of lead in water in homes and other buildings that have them. In a major omission, the final Lead and Copper Rule does not require water utilities to halt the widespread contamination of schools’ drinking water, urged by organizations representing parents and educators.

“Chicago has the most lead service lines of any US city. In setting a 20-year deadline for Chicago to replace lead pipes, the Biden administration is taking the most significant step to protect our drinking water from lead since the beginning of the Flint water crisis,” said Emily Kowalski, outreach & engagement manager with Environment Illinois. “But parents should know that the EPA has missed a major opportunity to safeguard water at school.”  

Lead is particularly harmful to children. While relatively few schools have lead service lines, they often have plumbing and fixtures made with sufficient lead to contaminate water. Lead is a pervasive problem in Illinois schools’ water: Out of 155 schools in suburban Cook County, 78% detected lead in the water at one or more tap, according to an 2018 analysis by Illinois PIRG Education Fund.

“We have long known that exposure to lead impairs development, learning and behavior in children,” said Abe Scarr, Illinois PIRG. “Kudos to the EPA for accelerating the elimination of lead service lines in Chicago and starting to move lead pipes into the dustbin of history. Now it’s up to lawmakers in Springfield to get the lead out where our kids go to learn and play each day.”  

To ensure safe water at school, advocates recommend installing lead-filtering water stations and installing filters on other taps used for drinking and cooking, as a new law in Michigan now requires. 

Environment Illinois and Illinois PIRG have been urging officials to stop lead contamination since they launched their joint Get the Lead Out campaign in 2017. The groups have published significant research, including a report evaluating state policies on the matter and a map displaying lead contamination at schools.

“When it comes to schools’ water, today’s rule dispels any illusion that the federal government is going to do our homework for us,” said Scarr. “It’s time for Illinois officials to rise to the head of the class and get the lead out.”