Connecticut gets $25M from EPA to replace lead pipes, provide cleaner water

CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — Connecticut is set to receive $25 million in federal funding to provide clean water to schools and homes, as part of the Biden administration’s final rule issued Tuesday.

The Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) requires water systems across the county to find and replace lead pipes within 10 years. It will also require more stringent testing of drinking water and more communication with families so they are informed of the lead in drinking water.

In conjunction with this rule, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to provide $24,898,000 in newly available drinking water infrastructure funding to our state through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The funds are meant to support lead pipe replacement projects, and 49% must be provided to disadvantaged communities as grant funding or principal forgiveness that doesn’t have to be repaid.

According to officials with the EPA, roughly 9 million homes across the country get water through legacy lead pipes and many are in lower-income communities.

“We’ve known for decades that lead exposure has serious long-term impacts for children’s health. And yet, millions of lead service lines are still delivering drinking water to homes,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a statement.

“President Biden is putting an end to this generational public health problem. With the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements and historic investments in lead pipe replacement, the Biden-Harris Administration is fulfilling its commitment that no community, regardless of race, geography, or wealth, should have to worry about lead-contaminated water in their homes,” he continued.

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