President Joe Biden announced Thursday $3 billion toward identifying and replacing the nation’s unsafe lead pipes, a long-sought move to improve public health and clean drinking water that will be paid for by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Biden unveiled the new funding in North Carolina, a battleground state Democrats have lost to Donald Trump in the past two presidential elections but are feeling more bullish toward due to an abortion measure on the state’s ballot this November.

The Environmental Protection Agency will invest $3 billion in the lead pipe effort annually through 2026, Administrator Michael Regan told reporters. He said that nearly 50% of the funding will go to disadvantaged communities – and a fact sheet from the Biden administration noted that “lead exposure disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income families.”

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Because of urban sprawl lots of homes in cities have wells still.

    House built in the 40s before city water had expanded can still be on a well, and septic tanks.

    Like lead pipes it’s something that just never got updated.

    Although because of the risk of old septic tanks collapsing, some cities have programs where if you hook up the to city services for switching and filling in the septic can get spread over like 20-30 years as an add on to your water bill.

    • bluGill@kbin.social
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      6 months ago

      there is normally nothing wrong with well water. I have lab reports on my current well to prove it.