MicroWaveMay 3, 2024

EPA earmarks $3 billion to replace lead pipes nationwide

https://lemmy.world/post/14977982

EPA earmarks $3 billion to replace lead pipes nationwide - Lemmy.World

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it will spend $3 billion to help states and territories identify and replace lead water pipes. “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,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan [https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-administrator] said, announcing the funding Thursday in an agency news release. Lead poses serious health risks and can cause irreversible brain damage in children. The funding announced Thursday is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which President Joe Biden signed into law in 2021. It sets aside $15 billion overall to identify and replace lead pipes.

Show threadFlying SquidMay 3, 2024

That sounds like a lot. It isn’t. It’s a drop in the bucket. So is the $15 billion.

After conducting a survey of these lead pipes in the United States, NRDC estimates that there is a range of 9.7 million to 12.8 million pipes that are, or may be, lead, spread across all 50 states, including those that claim to have none.

nrdc.org/…/lead-pipes-are-widespread-and-used-eve…

No way is $15 billion going to be enough to dig up and replace that much lead piping.

Finding Lead Water Pipes: New NRDC Map Shows the Hot Spots in Every State

Federal and state governments acknowledge the widespread presence of lead pipes throughout the country—NRDC’s new map reveals where they are. The EPA, states, and cities must act now to solve this problem. 

Show threadbluGill

They don't have to be dug up. The first step is chemistry - Flint was fine with lead pipes until they switch water sources to something with a different composition (ph I think - but there are other factors and we should get expert chemists to speak here not laypeople like us). Anywhere that lead pipes exist we need monitoring to ensure that the water doesn't dissolve lead, once we have that in place the pipes don't leach much lead and we can do a slower replacement when the pipes need to be replaced anyway.

We also have technology to put a plastic liner in existing pipes for much less than digging the pipes up. It doesn't work for all situations, but when it does is a lot cheaper and should be investigated for any pipe that is expected to last a long time.

May 3, 2024 at 1:11pmWeb
Show threadPulptasticMay 3, 2024
Even with that there is still a nonzero amount of lead in the water. Source: my city that does exactly that and the test results they publish.
Show threadfine_sandy_bottomMay 4, 2024

I hate this.

  • “This shit is terrible. Fixing it is going to cost an astronomical amount but it’s just got to get done.”
  • “Woah woah woah. Why don’t we investigate a range of potential options that will mitigate the harm caused by the problem.”

You already know just from the tone that fuck all is going to happen.

The answer is… do both. Fix the problem while finding ways to mitigate costs while ensuring the problem gets fixed.