Over 64K Denver households have lead pipes. New federal funds will replace them.
DENVER (KDVR) — On Thursday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a $32.8 million investment to help Colorado identify and replace lead service lines that provide drinking water to thousands of households.
The investment is part of a $15 billion package through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The total program funding to date is expected to replace up to 1.7 million lead pipes nationwide, according to the EPA, which projects 9 million lead service lines exist across the country.
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Several Colorado leaders applauded the funding.
“Neighborhoods throughout Denver have been impacted by lead pipes and unsafe drinking water,” said Congresswoman Diana DeGette in a release. “I voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to send funding to communities like those in Colorado’s First District to replace lead pipes and improve the health of my constituents.”
Lead can cause a range of serious health impacts, including irreversible brain development harm in children, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The agency also says there is no safe level of lead in blood.
“Every Coloradan deserves access to safe drinking water,” said Sen. John Hickenlooper. “These Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investments will help replace lead pipes and deliver cleaner water to communities across Colorado!”
A study published in 2022 in the National Library of Medicine and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed journal, found that over 170 Americans alive at the time were exposed to high lead levels in early childhood. Additionally, lead exposure disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income families.
“No parent in America should have to worry about the water their kids drink,” said Sen. Michael Bennet. “This investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is an important step forward to help communities across Colorado replace harmful lead pipes without placing additional financial burdens on homeowners and small businesses. Communities in every corner of the country should have access to clean drinking water.”
The funding is for lead service line identification and replacement. The funding will help states fund projects to remove lead pipes and reduce exposure to lead from drinking water.
How does Denver’s water supply shape up?
Denver Water estimates that in its service area there are 64,000-84,000 properties that may have lead service lines.
According to Denver Water, service lines bring water into a home or building from the main delivery pipe in the street.
The department said that in general, homes built before 1951 are more likely to have lead service lines. Homes built before 1987 may have lead solder connecting copper pipes in their plumbing. Faucets and fixtures made before 2014 do not meet today’s “lead-free” requirements.
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Denver Water’s water does not contain lead, but will gather lead from pipes as it flows. Heated water has a higher probability of loosening lead and contaminating water.
Denver Water customers can request a free lead test kit at denverwater.org/leadtest. The department said it serves a quarter of the state’s population and has a lead reduction program. It also has a lead service line inventory site, where individual locations can be looked up and a brief description of the property’s service lines is included.
According to Denver Water, since 1992, as part of the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule, the department has monitored water quality in homes with service lines or plumbing containing lead. Only in 2012 did test results say additional action was needed to protect public health.
How much lead is in the rest of Colorado’s water?
A 2022 measure passed by the Colorado legislature required that all drinking water locations be tested in licensed childcare facilities and public schools serving children in fifth grade or younger. The testing showed that 7% of all tested fixtures (3,700) were above the accepted lead levels in drinking water. As of Sept. 15, 2023, only 100 of the 900 total facilities impacted had completed remedial actions.
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CDPHE reported that 96% of public elementary schools and 77% of all licensed childcare programs are compliant. However, only 29% of family childcare homes comply with the required sampling and 16% of family childcare homes were “compliant by opting out of sampling.”
A full list of the testing results is available through CDPHE’s Water Quality Control Division.
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