The Biden administration announced on Tuesday a $5.8 billion funding allocation to address the deteriorating water infrastructure endangering the health of millions of Americans across every state and territory.
Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency, Michael Regan, and Vice President Kamala Harris will be in Pittsburgh on Tuesday to highlight the administration’s initiatives aimed at ensuring a safer drinking water system and more reliable wastewater infrastructure. These efforts include ongoing projects, such as the removal of lead pipes in Pittsburgh, funded through the bipartisan 2021 legislation allocating $50 billion for water infrastructure improvements.
Because of Black Americans and the ancestors that came before you, we're making progress building a democracy that recognizes the inherent dignity of all of us.
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That's something worth celebration this Black History Month. pic.twitter.com/txmRxB9jbN
Vice President Harris emphasized in an EPA news release that President Biden and herself advocate for the fundamental right to clean water for all Americans, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status. The investment aims to eliminate all lead pipes nationwide and guarantee access to safe and dependable drinking water.
Rather than selecting specific projects, the federal government will distribute the investment to states, territories, and tribes through programs like the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
The United States boasts an extensive water system comprising over 2.2 million miles of underground pipes for drinking water and more than 16,000 treatment plants for wastewater. However, this infrastructure has received consistently poor grades from civil engineering assessments, exacerbated by challenges posed by the climate crisis.
The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the country’s drinking water infrastructure a C- rating in 2021, an improvement from the D rating in 2017. The wastewater system received a D+ rating, while stormwater received a D.
A significant portion of water infrastructure issues stems from insufficient investment, as highlighted by the EPA. Local governments often lack the resources to update water systems independently, leading to problems like those seen in Flint, Michigan, where corroded pipes caused lead contamination in the water supply.
The Biden administration has set a goal to replace all lead service lines in the nation within ten years, with funding allocated for cleaning drinking water, improving wastewater treatment, removing contaminants, and replacing lead pipes.
In Pittsburgh, efforts to address lead contamination have resulted in the replacement of thousands of public and private lead service lines, with further funding expected to accelerate these initiatives.
Additionally, federal funds will assist in addressing other water contaminants, such as per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), which pose significant health risks to Americans.
PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals,” have been linked to various health issues, prompting the EPA to propose labeling nine PFAS chemicals as hazardous substances.
This designation would facilitate the government’s efforts to address PFAS contamination as part of its cleanup initiatives.