This story was supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.
The announcement earlier this week — that the EPA wants to get rid of lead pipes that supply drinking water within the next decade — sounded like good news, especially in Chicago, which has the most lead water pipes of any city in the United States.
But the fine print is disappointing: Because of a loophole or “handout” in the proposed rule, some residents there could end up waiting another 40 years for the lead pipes to be removed.
The EPA mandate makes an exception for places where it would be nearly impossible to replace all the lead pipes within 10 years. Removing Chicago’s nearly 400,000 lead water pipes would be a colossal challenge. Instead, cities and towns in a similar position to Chicago can replace 10,000 pipes a year until all lead pipes are removed. That means Chicago could theoretically take more than 40 years to fix the problem and still be in compliance with the rule, which is expected to be finalized next year.
Lead can cause a host of health issues, including damage to the brain and nervous system. In children, lead can seriously disrupt their development and lead to problems with hearing or speech as well as learning or behavioral issues.
The new rule will also lower the limit of lead from 15 to 10 parts per billion, or ppb. The World Health Organization said so there is no safe level of exposure to lead
For drinking water in particular, the long-term consumption of lead is a problem, said Adrienne L. Katner, director of the environmental and occupational health sciences program at Louisiana State University in New Orleans.
“The one big difference is that you take in water daily and it’s a chronic exposure. So even if it’s a low dose, it’s a concern,” Katner said.
In Chicago the problem is so acute that A Guardian analysis of city data found that 1 in 20 faucets has water that exceeds the current EPA minimum of 15 parts per billion. The analysis also found that lead levels are higher in the city’s Black and Latino neighborhoods.
While Gina Ramirez, Midwest Outreach Manager at the National Resources Defense Council, was pleased to hear the announcement of the rules, she is also concerned that it does not go far enough.
“That 10-year rule is not going to apply to Chicago, which as a [environmental justice] advocate, as a parent, as an expectant mother, really worries me,” Ramirez said. “I would like to see the replacement of lead service line in my children’s generation. And if we go through a [longer] timeline, this is not acceptable.”
Previous attempts to solve the problem from the city have so far been unsuccessful. A Chicago Sun-Times investigation found that despite former mayor Lori Lightfoot’s promise to make significant inroads on the issue, only 280 pipes had been replaced by the end of her tenure.
Ramirez is also personally invested in the fight against lead in drinking water. She helped her mother apply for a city program that helps residents replace those same main service lines, but the tedious paperwork and long wait times left her wanting.
“My mom, you know, part of the process of getting her line removed was to test her water, she still didn’t get the results,” Ramirez said. “She did have her lead service line replaced, but she still doesn’t know if she previously had 15 parts per million or even more in her water.”
These concerns are not unfounded, as Ramirez’s mother lives on the city’s southeast side, a place historically polluted by several heavy industrial plants operating in the area and where a higher percentage of lead in drinking water was found.
Lead can take 20 years to fully disappear from someone’s body, meaning it can cause health issues decades after exposure, from the cardiovascular system to pregnancy, according to Katner in New Orleans.
“Chicagoans have given the ultimate sacrifice, which is our health,” Ramirez added.
The city’s plan to tackle the issue is one of several environmental justice problems facing current Mayor Brandon Johnson, who campaigned on the issue.
It would be a monumental task for the city, which only stopped installing lead pipes in 1986, after the federal government banned it. Megan Vidis at the Chicago Department of Water Management noted that if the city were to stick to the 10-year rule, it would have to replace 40,000 service lines a year. That would be a big jump from the current 8,000 lead pipes it replaces each year.
“There aren’t enough plumbers in Illinois, much less the Midwest, to do that,” Vidis said.
Additionally, the price tag for replacing lead service lines in Chicago is an estimated $12 billion. The total amount of money offered by the Biden administration to replace every service line in the country is $15 billion.
While residents wait for the city to step up its efforts, Katner encourages people to buy pitcher filters or filters mounted on their kitchen faucets. The low-cost solution is much more affordable than the billions needed to replace lead water lines and can start today to protect residents’ health.
“I think the rule is a good step in the right direction,” Katner said. “Is it perfect? No, but you know, it’s a good step in the right direction.”
Editor’s note: The NRDC is an advertiser with Grist. Advertisers play no role in Grist’s editorial decisions.
