NEW JERSEY TO GET OVER $123 MILLION FOR LEAD PIPE REPLACEMENT TO ADVANCE SAFE DRINKING WATER

To protect children and families, President Biden has committed to replacing every lead pipe in the country. This announcement, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and available through EPA’s successful Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, takes another major step to advance this work and environmental justice, and bolsters the Administration’s Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan and EPA’s Get the Lead Out Initiative. 

Working collaboratively, EPA and the State Revolving Funds are advancing the President’s Justice40 Initiative as lead exposure disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income families. The total funding announced through this program to date is expected to replace up to 1.7 million lead pipes nationwide, which would secure clean drinking water for countless families.  

“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,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “President Biden understands it is critical to identify and remove lead pipes as quickly as possible, and he has secured significant resources for states and territories to accelerate the permanent removal of dangerous lead pipes once and for all.” 

“Every New Jerseyan deserves safe drinking water when they turn on their tap and this major injection of funding will further bolster the work to achieve that goal,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “For too long, the urgent need to improve our drinking water systems has far outweighed the available funding. This crucial Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding is helping close that gap.” 

“The public health threat posed by our aging water infrastructure is a challenge across both our state and the nation. In order to prevent toxic exposures for this generation and beyond, we have committed to replacing every lead service line in New Jersey by 2031,” said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. “Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the support of the U.S. EPA and our congressional delegation, the substantial federal resources pouring into New Jersey will put us a great deal closer to this goal.”  

“This investment in replacing New Jersey’s lead service lines will help ensure we deliver safe, clean drinking water while also creating jobs. In a nation as wealthy as ours, every child should be guaranteed the right to safe drinking water,” said U.S. Senator Cory Booker. “I’m proud to have voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to make investments like this that will pay dividends in our health, well-being, and prosperity for generations to come.”