President Biden has announced a plan to “strengthen its Lead and Copper Rule that would require water systems to replace lead service lines within 10 years."

The Biden administration has announced a proposal to “strengthen its Lead and Copper Rule that would require water systems to replace lead service lines within 10 years,” the White House said in a statement on Thursday.

According to the White House, more than 9.2 million American households connect to water through lead pipes and lead service lines and, due to “decades of inequitable infrastructure development and underinvestment,” many Americans are at risk of lead exposure.

“There is no safe level of exposure to lead, particularly for children, and eliminating lead exposure from the air, water, and homes is a crucial component of the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic commitment to advancing environmental justice,” the Biden administration said.

  • zarkony@lemmy.zipEnglish
    16·
    11 months ago

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_water_crisis

    They were buying water from Detroit’s water system. In order to save money, they switched to getting it from the nearby river, but they failed to account for how the new water source would interact with their pipes. They didn’t treat the new water correctly and it corroded all their old lead pipes, dumping lead into the water and giving everyone lead poisoning.

    Even years later, after they switched back to Detroit water, they’re still having problems because the damage to the pipes is already done.