EPA Partners With Ilion and Herkimer to Replace Lead Pipes and Meet New EPA Requirements

Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, these New York communities are accelerating access to lead-free drinking water.

October 15, 2024

Contact Information

Stephen McBay (mcbay.stephen@epa.gov)

212-637-3672

NEW YORK - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency marked the launch of the Get the Lead Out Initiative in the Village of Catskill and announced similar partnerships with the City of Amsterdam, Fonda, Herkimer, Ilion and Scotia, N.Y. This initiative will help these communities meet new requirements under the EPA’s new Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, finalized on Oct. 8. EPA will provide technical assistance through its Get the Lead Out Initiative to approximately 200 communities nationwide, helping them meet EPA requirements and provide lead-free water. EPA is also slated to give about $116 million to New York State this year through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support drinking water improvements.

Lead in drinking water can cause serious health problems including irreversible brain damage, especially in kids. To protect children and families, the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests a historic $15 billion to replace lead pipes and deliver clean water. However, many underserved communities lack the resources to plan for lead pipe replacement and access federal investments. The technical assistance provided through the Get the Lead Out Initiative will help ensure that no community is left behind in the opportunity to replace lead pipes.

“Every person has a right to clean and safe water and EPA is supporting these efforts with new directives, assistance and billions of dollars in investment through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “EPA recently announced the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, requiring that all lead pipes be replaced in the next ten years. The Get the Lead Out program gives communities, like the Village of Catskill and the surrounding towns, the technical assistance they need to achieve this goal of delivering lead-free and safe drinking water.”

“There is no safe level of lead in drinking water. The Village of Herkimer is committed to protecting public health by providing lead free, healthy drinking water for our residents. Recently, we have applied for and secured BIL grants to identify and remove all lead service lines,” said Village of Herkimer Mayor Dana Sherry. “Moving forward, we are excited and grateful to be partnering with the EPA's Get the Lead Out Initiative as they guide us through this complicated process.”

“Lead in any drinking water supply causes unsafe conditions and could cause serious health concerns for some. In partnering with the EPA and the other communities, this proves that we are committed to providing safe and potable water for our consumers,” said Village of Ilion Mayor John P. Stephens. “Get the Lead Out is an important part of rectifying this issue [and] thank you to all involved.”

“The Village of Scotia is proud to announce its selection for the Get the Lead Out Initiative, a program dedicated to the identification and replacement of lead service lines across communities. This significant opportunity allows our Village to enhance public health safety and improve water quality for all residents,” said Village of Scotia Mayor David J. Bucciferro. “We thank the EPA for their foresight on making such a program available.”

“The USEPA’s Get the Lead Out Team gave the City of Amsterdam, NY a much-needed boost to the development of our Lead Service Line Inventory,” said City Engineer Mike Clark. “The team was efficient and hard-working, and the outreach efforts increased the public’s interest.”

The EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Improvements were finalized on Oct. 8. They require drinking water systems across the country to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years. The Lead and Copper Rule Improvements also require more rigorous testing of drinking water and a lower threshold requiring communities to take action to protect people from lead exposure in water. In addition, the final rule improves communication within communities so that families are better informed about the risk of lead in drinking water, the location of lead pipes and plans for replacing them.

The Get the Lead Out Initiative could not come at a better time as EPA is already supporting communities such as the ones in Central New York to identify lead pipes, develop lead service line replacement plans, increase community outreach and education efforts, and apply for funding. As a result of these efforts, the City of Amsterdam and villages of Catskill, Fonda, Herkimer, Ilion and Scotia, N.Y. are already on track to meet the more protective standards that EPA has set to protect people from lead in drinking water.

Under the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions that went into effect Dec. 16, 2021, all public water utilities are required to prepare and maintain an inventory of service line materials by Oct. 16, 2024, or sooner if required by the state agency. Communities can request lead service line replacement technical assistance on EPA’s WaterTA website.

Background:

Signed in 2021, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided a historic $50 billion investment in water and wastewater infrastructure, dedicating more than $15 billion to replacing lead service lines. EPA is committed to ensuring every community, particularly underserved and disadvantaged communities, can access their fair share of this unprecedented investment through a robust portfolio of Water Technical Assistance programs, such as the Get the Lead Out Initiative.

As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s whole-of-government effort to tackle lead exposure, EPA will help communities remove the barriers to lead pipe removal. Working collaboratively, EPA is advancing the President’s Justice40 Initiative to ensure that disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution are protected. Lead exposure disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income families.

EPA is committed to providing meaningful opportunities for community and state support through peer exchange and learning. Through GLO, EPA will develop tools and case studies to share information and best practices between the agency, state and Tribal programs, water system managers, and community leaders.