{"id":10740,"date":"2022-01-04T17:24:22","date_gmt":"2022-01-04T22:24:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/?p=10740"},"modified":"2022-01-04T21:03:45","modified_gmt":"2022-01-05T02:03:45","slug":"an-environmental-justice-case-study-how-lead-pipe-replacement-programs-favor-wealthier-residents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/2022\/01\/04\/an-environmental-justice-case-study-how-lead-pipe-replacement-programs-favor-wealthier-residents\/","title":{"rendered":"An environmental justice case study: how lead pipe replacement programs favor wealthier residents"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tom Neltner<\/em><\/a>, Chemicals Policy Director<\/span><\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Lindsay McCormick<\/em><\/i><\/a>, Program Manager<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Karen Baehler and her team at American University\u2019s Center for Environmental Policy, with support from EDF, recently published a <\/span>peer-reviewed case study<\/a> highlighting the environmental justice issues that arise when water utilities require property owners to pay when they replace lead service lines (LSLs) that connect homes to the water main under the street.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Our experience indicates that the vast majority of the 11,000+ water utilities in the U.S. engage in this practice. Based on the findings, these utilities need to reconsider their programs as they address the more than 9 million LSLs nationwide. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The study found that Washington, DC residents in low-income neighborhoods between 2009-2018 were significantly less likely than those in wealthier neighborhoods to pay for a full LSL replacement and, therefore, had an increased risk of harm from lead exposure from a partial LSL replacement.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0practice of requiring customers to pay for\u00a0a\u00a0full LSL replacement also raises civil\u00a0rights concerns in cities like Washington, DC\u00a0that have\u00a0a history of racial segregation,\u00a0<\/span>redlining, and underinvestment in neighborhoods predominately comprised of people of color. If a utility that follows this practice also receives federal funding such as state revolving loan funds (SRFs), it may be violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. While Washington, DC largely <\/span>resolved\u00a0the issue in 2019 by banning partial replacements and addressing \u201cpast partials\u201d left in the ground, this scenario is replicated\u00a0across the country.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The problem of\u00a0partial LSL replacements<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The figure below shows the difference between a full and partial LSL replacement.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

To maintain their infrastructure, utilities regularly replace aging drinking water mains.\u00a0The issues\u00a0arise\u00a0when the water mains are attached to LSLs\u00a0because the work disturbs these lead pipes.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A full LSL replacement provides significant long-term reductions in the risk of lead exposure in a customer\u2019s drinking water. However, a partial LSL replacement \u2013 that leaves in place the lead pipes on private property \u2013 creates short-term spikes in lead levels that are much higher and last longer and does not reliably reduce the risk of lead exposure over the long-term.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2011,\u00a0EPA\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Science Advisory Board<\/a> found that in \u201cwater distribution systems optimized for corrosion control, full [LSL replacements] ha[ve] been shown to be a generally effective method in achieving long-term reductions in drinking water [lead] levels.\u201d The Science Advisory Board also stated that \u201c[partial LSL replacements] have not been shown to be reliably effective in reducing drinking water [lead] levels.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Customers thus face a stark choice: accept the risk of increased lead exposure from a partial replacement or pay potentially thousands of dollars to ensure the LSL is fully replaced.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where customers are unable or unwilling to pay, utilities typically proceed with a partial LSL replacement, upgrading the portion of pipe that runs from the water main to the curb stop (usually near the property line), and leaving in place the lead pipe that connects the curb stop to the home. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In essence, partial LSL replacements not only increase the risk of lead contamination in the home\u2019s drinking water, threatening children\u2019s brain development and putting adults at higher risk of heart disease and other harm, they also leave the work half-done to be finished in the future at a greater overall cost.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Environmental justice issues when utilities force customers to choose<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0study\u00a0from Dr. Baehler and her team shows how the practice\u00a0of partial replacements\u00a0can result in a major equity issue, with significant health implications for lower-income households.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Using Washington,\u00a0DC\u00a0as a case study, researchers evaluated data on more than 3,400 full and partial LSL replacements conducted in the nation\u2019s capital from 2009 \u2013 2018. During this ten-year period, the local water utility, DC Water, followed the common cost-sharing practice for replacing LSLs. The utility covered the cost of replacing LSLs located on public property but required customers to pay to replace LSLs on private property.\u00a0The utility took measures to reduce the cost, but customers still needed to pay a contractor an\u00a0<\/span>average of $2,000,\u00a0with prices ranging\u00a0from $1,000 to $10,000.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the study,\u00a0a neighborhood\u2019s\u00a0household income was a major predictor of the prevalence of full LSL replacement. Residents in higher income neighborhoods in the city had a significantly greater probability of\u00a0paying for\u00a0full replacement of their LSL, with customers in lower income neighborhoods more likely to\u00a0have\u00a0a partial\u00a0LSL\u00a0and the\u00a0greater\u00a0risks\u00a0of lead exposure\u00a0that come with it.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Importantly, the study suggests that these patterns of inequity \u201chave policy and program relevance far beyond one city\u2019s boundaries.\u201d The same environmental justice issues can arise across the country because many other water systems employ the same key features as those used by DC Water during the period studied.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some have already\u00a0stopped partial LSL replacements<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In late\u00a02019,\u00a0<\/span>Washington, DC<\/a>\u00a0approved an ordinance\u00a0stopping partial LSLs replacements and providing financial support for homeowners who had partial replacements in the past.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other\u00a0<\/span>cities<\/a> like Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia have also rejected the practice of partial LSL replacements, and <\/span>states\u00a0like\u00a0Illinois, Michigan, and New Jersey\u00a0have recognized the risks from partial LSL replacements and banned the practice.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A\u00a0<\/span>new influx of federal funds\u00a0from the\u00a0bipartisan\u00a0<\/span>Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act<\/a>\u00a0enacted in November 2021\u00a0should also benefit efforts to stop partial LSL replacement<\/span>s<\/span>. The money goes to SRFs and includes $15 billion specifically for LSL replacement programs. The challenge ahead is to ensure the funds are spent right to the benefit of all residents. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0study\u2019s\u00a0conclusions seem like common sense<\/span>,<\/span> but having them documented in a statistically representative manner in a peer-reviewed journal makes them more useful to policy makers. In light of the evidence, utilities demanding that low-income residents pay to replace LSLs on private property should seriously consider the environmental justice and civil rights implications. States administering SRFs should as well. As EPA reminds us in its\u00a0<\/span>December 17\u00a0Federal Register\u00a0<\/span><\/i>notice<\/span><\/a>\u00a0on the Lead and Copper Rule, \u201cStates and water systems receiving\u00a0federal funds have an affirmative\u00a0obligation to implement effective nondiscrimination\u00a0compliance programs.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is time utilities and states took this obligation seriously.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tom Neltner, Chemicals Policy Director\u00a0and\u00a0Lindsay McCormick, Program Manager\u00a0 Dr. Karen Baehler and her team at American University\u2019s Center for Environmental Policy, with support from EDF, recently published a peer-reviewed case study highlighting the environmental justice issues that arise when water utilities require property owners to pay when they replace lead service lines (LSLs) that connect …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":69548,"featured_media":6983,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[114081,114106],"tags":[39158,91857,91787],"coauthors":[114044],"class_list":["post-10740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drinking-water","category-lead","tag-lead","tag-lead-service-line-replacement","tag-lead-service-lines"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/69548"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10740"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10740\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13601,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10740\/revisions\/13601"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10740"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=10740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}