New Jersey’s efforts to remove lead from drinking water is getting a $123 million boost, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday.
All 50 states are receiving funding, with New Jersey getting one of the largest awards. The money will be spent to fund lead service line replacement programs. The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Lead service lines are the primary source of lead in drinking water in New Jersey. The garden hose-sized pipes connect individual properties to larger water mains; if water is not properly treated with corrosion control, it can eat away at the pipes as it flows through them.
Lead exposure has been linked to serious health problems, especially in children. Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law in 2021 that requires New Jersey’s water systems to inventory and then replace all their lead service lines within a decade. At the time that law was signed, it was estimated that the state had about 350,000 lead service lines.
