WASHINGTON, DC — All water systems in the nation must replace their lead service lines within ten years, according to a proposal announced Nov. 30 by the Biden administration.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal will secure safe drinking water for communities across the country with a $50 billion investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

More than 9.2 million American households connect to water through lead pipes and lead service lines, says the EPA. Decades of inequitable infrastructure development and underinvestment means that lead exposure disproportionately affects low-income communities and communities of color, said the EPA.

The EPA says there is no safe level of exposure to lead, particularly for children.

Other measures proposed to protect the public against lead including increasing tap water sampling requirements, requiring water systems to complete lead line inventories, and streamline requirements for water systems to take additional action.

Lead can enter drinking water when plumbing materials that contain lead corrode, especially where the water has high acidity or low mineral content. The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets, and fixtures.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $15 billion in funding specifically dedicated for replacing lead service lines, along with an additional $11.7 billion that can also be used for lead pipe replacement.

In August, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $78 million in new awards to remediate lead pipes in rural communities.