Minnesota to receive $57M from EPA for lead pipe replacement

Minnesota will receive more than $57 million in federal funds to protect the state's drinking water from lead exposure, the Environmental Protection Agency announced on Wednesday.

A total of $57,770,000 will go directly to Minnesota through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The money will go toward finding and replacing lead pipes that deliver water to homes, also known as service lines.

Wisconsin will also receive more than $94 million from the EPA to reduce lead exposure among residents.

"An investment in removing lead pipes is an investment in America's children and families," Jess Kramer, EPA assistant administrator for water, said.

Congress banned lead usage in 1986, but lead service lines remain in the ground all over the country.

There are upward of 87,000 known lines in need of replacement, according to the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, a group informally known as the lead pipes coalition.

A 2024 federal mandate from the Biden administration compels states to replace lead service lines by 2037. Minnesota's goal is to replace all lead pipes by 2033.

The Minnesota Legislature approved a bill that provided $240 million to replace lead pipes across the state in 2023. That's in addition to about $350 million in federal funding the state received through Biden's bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. However, those funds are not expected to last beyond 2027.

The University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Health are developing an interactive map to check the material of a service line by address.