Lead pipes represent a public health risk nationwide, as their corrosion over time leaches the metal into drinking water. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) set aside $15 billion to replace lead water pipes through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund’s (DWSRF) Lead Service Lines Replacement program. Every fiscal year between 2022 and 2026, $3 billion is released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to states to identify and replace the dangerous water infrastructure threatening public health. These amounts vary slightly year by year, as visible on the Water Program Portal’s Outcomes Dashboard. The largest shift in state allocations was initiated by the factoring in the 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment (DWINSA), whose results impact state funding for fiscal years 2025 and 2026.
2025’s state allocations were delayed roughly five months, finally being released on November 25th after public pressure. Previous allotments have been announced closer to the middle of the year and all at once, with 2023’s allocations announced in early April and 2024’s allocations announced in mid-May.
The reason for the delay is opaque. EPA’s announcement of the funding release did not provide a reason, although it did mention that this year’s formulation included an updated approach following the 7th DWINSA and “certain adjustments” from lead service line inventory data submitted by states. In total, EPA estimates that about four million lead service lines need to be replaced nationwide; other estimates put that figure closer to nine million. In any case, EPA has stated that it will defend a Biden administration goal, instituted in October 2024, to replace all or most of existing lead service lines nationwide within ten years. However, the agency noted it would “develop new tools and information to support practical implementation flexibilities and regulatory clarity,” with more detailed steps to be announced.
Prior to the funding release, several state authorities were vocal about the negative impact of disbursement delay. Authorities from Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Wisconsin shared that uncertainty about funding created reluctance from state officials to move forward with line replacement work contracts when the total sums to be expected were hidden, delaying critical progress in projects.
The situation does vary state by state, however. While some states submit intended use plans for each of the State Revolving Loan Funds’ five sub-programs annuals, others delay their applications or bank the money to use for future fiscal years. Other states that did not receive state-level requests for funding greater than their federal allocation are also able to mediate the funding pause., Finally, states with less aggressive line replacement roadmaps were not as troubled with the funding delay, such as Pennsylvania, which has enough money to fund projects for all the communities that applied for financing.
While the EPA faces criticism from states regarding the lag in funding, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin had plenty of criticism to fire back, particularly to Massachusetts. Before the program’s announcement of funding, Zeldin noted on social media that Massachusetts had yet to spend the $155 million the state had been allotted for lead pipe replacement since fiscal year 2023. Massachusetts had announced that it would pause its replacement program amid the confusion about funding statuses, and that it had already disbursed $102 million to communities statewide since 2022.
Regardless, work continues nationwide to replace threatening drinking water infrastructure. Active projects can be viewed on the Water Program Portal’s IIJA State Revolving Fund Project Dashboard, where reported state-level award amounts and estimated versus final lead service line replacement counts are surfaced.
