By Donnelle Eller, Des Moines Register
Work will begin in Des Moines’ Drake neighborhood next month to replace about 120 lead service lines, the first phase of Des Moines Water Works’ efforts to address the potential toxic threat to families across the metro.
The work is slated to start as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it’s sending $46 million to Iowa for lead pipe replacement efforts. The federal dollars will be placed in a state revolving loan fund and target disadvantaged neighborhoods.
The EPA announced Wednesday, May 20, it was providing a total of $2.9 billion for lead pipe replacements nationally. The agency estimates about 4 million U.S. homes have lead lines.
Lead service lines — which connect homes to central water mains — have been prohibited in new home construction and plumbing improvements nationwide since 1986. The EPA hopes to protect communities from the kind of lead exposure that sparked a health crisis for 100,000 residents in Flint, Michigan, about a decade ago.
Pipes leaching lead can endanger residents’ health, especially that of children.
Iowa officials stress that utilities treat water to control corrosion, and water suppliers are required to regularly conduct tests for lead. Still, lead pipes are considered a potential threat that should be removed.
“An investment in removing lead pipes is an investment in America’s children and families,” Jess Kramer, EPA assistant administrator for water, said in a statement. “The Trump EPA is committed to tackling lead exposure” and the investment “will help protect current and future generations across America by accelerating local efforts to find and replace toxic lead pipes,” Kramer said.
Des Moines Water Works initially will borrow $52.6 million from the revolving loan fund to pay for the free replacement of 4,600 lead lines for residents in the metro. The agency will have to borrow additional money to expand its efforts in later phases.
About half the loan from the fund is forgivable, with the remainder of the long-term, interest-free debt repaid from water service revenues, the Des Moines utility said.
The lead pipe replacement funding was allocated by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed by Congress under then-President Joe Biden.
Des Moines Water Works is still assessing how many lead water lines will need to be replaced, said spokesperson Melissa Walker. The utility initially estimated about 20,000 homes needed lead pipe replacements but found that many homeowners have independently replaced them.
For example, the initial estimate that about 350 homes in the Drake neighborhood would need replacement has been whittled to roughly 120 homes via field inspections, Walker said. The city will work with local contractors to remove the lead pipes.
Lead poisoning is a significant threat to children, who could face neurological damage that can result in decreased IQ, learning disabilities and behavioral problems. It also heightens adults’ risk for health problems including cardiovascular and liver disease and high blood pressure.
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