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null - President Joe Biden is setting a 10-year deadline for cities nationwide to replace their lead pipes, completing an aggressive approach to guarantee that drinking water is safe for Americans.
The 10-year period will not begin for three years. Some cities with large volumes of lead pipes may be given a longer time limit to meet the new standard.
RELATED: Most US cities would need new lead water pipes within 10 years under newly-proposed EPA rules
According to the Associated Press, Biden’s announcement emphasizes an issue — safe drinking water — that Kamala Harris has prioritized as vice president and during her presidential campaign.
Biden is making the announcement in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a city with the fifth-highest number of lead pipes in the nation, the AP reported, citing the Environmental Protection Agency.
FILE-President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with his Competition Council in the State Dining Room of the White House on March 5, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
Officials there are using money from the federal infrastructure law to accelerate lead-pipe replacement work and meet a goal to remove all lead pipes within 10 years, down from an initial 60-year time limit.
This new regulation is stricter than one proposed in 2023 and requires water systems to ensure that lead concentrations do not exceed an "action level" of 10 parts per billion, down from 15 parts per billion under the current standard.
The AP reports if high lead levels are detected, water systems must inform the public about ways to protect their health, including the use of water filters, and take action to minimize lead exposure while working to replace all lead pipes.
EPA officials tell the AP that the new rule also modifies the way lead amounts are measured, which could expand the number of cities and water systems that are found to have excessive levels of lead.
This new rule replaces a looser standard set by former President Donald Trump's administration that did not include a universal requirement to replace lead pipes.
According to the AP, the original lead and copper rule for drinking water was enacted by the EPA over 30 years ago, and the rules have lowered lead in tap water but have included loopholes that allowed cities to take little action when lead levels rose too high.