Get the Lead Out: How Ohio and its cities are working to replace old water service lines

Lurking under the yards and sidewalks of houses across Ohio are lead pipes that deliver potentially dangerous drinking water to hundreds of thousands of families.

A bill introduced in the Ohio House with bipartisan support would require public water systems to replace all those lines within 15 years − a massive undertaking that could cost $5 billion.

"No more patchwork repairs. No more half fixes. No more kicking the can down the road. We are going to get this right for families and children," said state Rep. Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, who suffered lead poisoning as a child.

Four decades ago, federal authorities banned the use of lead piping in public water systems. Still, Ohio ranks third in the nation for the most lead pipes serving families, with an estimated 745,000 still in use.

Jarrells and Republican Rep. Monica Robb Blasdell of Columbiana are cosponsoring the bill, calling it a moral obligation and a smart investment for Ohio.

"Good, clean water is vitally important, and we need to do as much as we can in that area," said Gov. Mike DeWine, who has long supported efforts to reduce children's exposure to lead.

No one argues against the need to keep lead out of drinking water but how to pay for it is another question.

 
Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said supporters of a statewide lead line replacement law need to come up with a funding plan. “I think if someone wants to do that, I think they have to come forward with a plan other than, ‘Let's do it. It's going to cost $5 billion. We'll let somebody else figure out the details.’ The rest of the story has to be explained by people who want to do stuff like that.”

The scope of the problem
Nationwide, an estimated 22 million people in 9 million homes receive their drinking water through lead pipes.

New rules in the federal Safe Drinking Water Act require water utilities to notify every customer it believes has a lead pipe or ones made of galvanized steel, which can contain lead. The work is supposed to be done by 2037.

In Ohio, where an estimated 745,000 lead service lines exist, some communities have started inventorying and mapping the lines and notifying customers. Others haven't begun the work, Jarrells said.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and H2Ohio are providing funding to local governments to inventory, map and remove lead service lines. Most of the money has been spent on mapping and inventorying but the state has paid for replacing 173 lines in Mahoning County and 116 lines connected to day care centers in Cleveland.

 
Replacing lines can cost a few thousand dollars per building. Service lines generally traverse both publicly owned and privately-owned property, which complicates the financing of replacement work. And only replacing one segment isn't a smart option because it doesn't fix the issue and the disruption can actually increase the lead particles flowing through the pipes in the short term.

  
What are Ohio cities doing about lead pipes?
Columbus met the federal requirement to notify customers and set up a website for residents to check if their houses have lead service lines. Columbus wants to replace 24,800 lead and 14,200 galvanized service lines that run from water mains to houses and buildings. The city is working to identify the material in another 58,000 lines.

Columbus expects to replace about 2,100 lines this year and eventually replace 5,000 a year. Columbus earmarked $30 million for the initial program and expects to spend about $100 million a year until the replacements are done. In general, the city is covering the cost.

Replacements are also done when construction crews are working mains, sewers or roads. And the city has a street-by-street lead line replacement program that prioritizes neighborhoods with a high percentage of children under age 11, risk of childhood elevated blood lead levels, a higher quantity of lead lines and other factors.

Greater Cincinnati Water Works, which created its lead pipe replacement program in 2016 when it had 42,000 lead lines in its service area, aims to complete 3,600 replacements a year. The city of Cincinnati initially covered 40% of the cost, up to $1,500, for customers who replaced their private lead lines. Now it's covering the full cost. 

Replacements aren't done on a first come, first serve basis. The Cincinnati utility uses an equity tool to give priority to properties with children, customers with broken pipes and neighborhoods getting new water mains. 

Akron has been working to replace lead service lines for decades and is on track to finish by the end of 2027. As of September 2024, about 1,800 active lines remained in the service area.

In Stark County, thousands of customers received notification letters in November 2024 that their service lines need to be replaced but the scope of the problem is smaller. Canton, North Canton and Massillon do not have any known lead service pipes.  

  
There is no safe level of lead exposure
Most utilities use orthophosphates as anti-corrosive agents to coat the interior of lines to minimize the risk of lead leaching into water. But it's not a fail-safe solution and there is no safe level of lead in drinking water, especially for children.

Exposure can lead to lower IQs, shorter attention spans, behavioral issues in children and cardiovascular, kidney and blood pressure problems in adults. In Ohio, 4,000 children have tested positive for elevated lead levels.

Steps to take to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water
There are steps to take to reduce your exposure to lead in your drinking water:

• Flush your faucets before consuming water. Before drawing drinking or cooking water, run the faucet until the water runs noticeably colder.
• Don't cook with or drink water from the hot water tap. Heat the water on the stove or in the microwave.
• Clean out your aerators on your faucets by running water for three to five minutes.
• Determine if your service line is made of lead or galvanized steel by calling a licensed plumber or identify the line material yourself using a magnet and a penny. Check with your water provider about replacement programs.
• Get your water tested using a certified lab.

Symptoms of lead poisoning
Some signs and symptoms of lead poisoning, according to the Ohio Department of Health, can include:

Stomach Pain

• Poor appetite
• Sleep disorders like insomnia.
• Kidney damage.
• Hearing problems.
• Damage to the male reproductive system.
• Memory problems.