Statement on EPA’s National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for Lead and Copper: Improvements
TRENTON, NJ—New Jersey Future (NJF) is pleased that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) incorporated many of the best practices from New Jersey’s landmark 2021 Lead Service Line Replacement Law into its Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, including the requirement that all lead service lines (LSLs) be replaced within ten years. NJF and many partners in the Jersey Water Works Collaborative engaged in advocacy for the New Jersey legislation and are proud that our collective leadership has shaped national standards for eliminating lead from the environment.
New Jersey is leading the way on lead. We are proud that the EPA is taking notice of our progress here in the Garden State. New Jersey Future has been engaged in lead issues for half a decade, convening partners and analyzing the financial and public health burdens in impacted communities and the extent of lead in our drinking water systems. For municipalities and water systems needing support in lead removal, New Jersey Future and our partners, Jersey Water Works and Lead-Free NJ, stand ready to assist in eliminating lead from our environment.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON NEW JERSEY LEAD SERVICE LINE IMPLEMENTATION
- Identified more than 140,000 LSLs to be replaced.
- More than a million service lines were reported as unknown, reflecting the extent of work remaining.1 NJ’s data shows the complexity of this work. As water systems ramp up to do inventories and identify service line materials, data will show an increase.
- Roughly $2.8 billion is needed over the next ten years2 to replace lead service lines. NJF and its partners in Jersey Water Works and Lead-Free NJ (LFNJ) continue to support communities in New Jersey in their efforts to eliminate lead and deliver safe, clean drinking water. The Jersey Water Works’ LSL Implementation Work Group identifies best practices and potential solutions to technical issues in collaboration with drinking water systems and technical experts. The LFNJ Water Advocacy Committee is exploring filter-first policies to address lead in schools. NJF’s Funding Navigator program supports water systems serving overburdened communities in accessing federal funding.
1 Data as per NJDEP and also seen reflected in Jersey WaterCheck, a JWW data dashboard.
2 From the Final Drinking Water Intended Use Plan for Federal Fiscal Year 2022, Appendix 1, page 27.
