Biden Issues 10-Year Deadline for Cities to Replace Lead Pipes

President Joe Biden set a 10-year deadline this week for cities across the nation to replace lead pipes in an effort to ensure safe drinking water.

Biden is expected to reveal a new Environmental Protection Agency rule on Tuesday while campaigning in Wisconsin, a key battleground state. The timing comes just weeks before the presidential election, and the rule is set to address safe drinking water—an issue Vice President Kamala Harris has championed both in her current role and during her own campaign for the presidency.

This new regulation will tighten standards on lead pipe replacement, rolling back a more lenient policy set by former President Donald Trump‘s administration. That policy did not mandate the universal removal of lead pipes.

While speaking to reporters on Monday, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan said that both Biden and Harris believe that ensuring clean drinking water to all Americans is “a moral imperative.”

“We know that over 9 million legacy lead pipes continue to deliver water to homes across our country. But the science has been clear for decades: There is no safe level of lead in our drinking water,” Regan said.

The new rule marks the most significant update to lead-in-water regulations in nearly 30 years. Lead, a toxic metal once widely used in pipes, paints and other products, is a known neurotoxin linked to numerous health problems. In children, exposure to lead can lead to developmental delays and reduced IQ, while adults can suffer from elevated blood pressure and other serious health issues.

The EPA projects that the tighter regulations could prevent up to 900,000 cases of low birthweight in infants each year, while also reducing premature deaths from heart disease by as many as 1,500 annually.

The regulation introduces a tougher limit on lead in drinking water, lowering the allowable “action level” from 15 parts per billion to 10 parts per billion. Under the new rule, water systems are required to notify the public if lead levels exceed the new standard and provide guidance on health protection measures, such as using water filters. Additionally, systems must take immediate steps to reduce lead exposure and begin replacing all lead pipes. This standard is stricter than one proposed last year.

Lead pipes disproportionately affect low-income, urban communities, particularly in older, industrial regions of the country. Cities like Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Detroit and Milwaukee—where Biden and Regan are set to announce the new standards—are among the hardest hit. These areas often face the highest risks from aging infrastructure and lead contamination.

The updated rule changes how lead levels are measured, a shift that the EPA says could dramatically increase the number of cities and water systems identified as having unsafe lead concentrations. This adjustment is expected to bring more communities into compliance with stricter health protections.

The new 10-year compliance period won’t begin for another three years, allowing water utilities time to prepare for the stricter standards. However, certain cities with extensive lead pipe networks could be granted additional time to fully meet the new requirements, according to the EPA.

Lead pipes can corrode and leach contaminants into drinking water, and removing them is key to preventing public health crises. The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, where a switch in the city’s water source over a decade ago caused corrosion and spiked lead levels, remains the most infamous example. However, other cities like Newark, New Jersey, Benton Harbor, Michigan and Washington, D.C. have also faced persistent issues with elevated lead levels in their water supplies.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.