SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California Assembly today passed legislation to protect residents by banning the partial replacement of lead or galvanized service lines corroded with lead, a hazardous activity the state currently allows.
Assembly Bill 1931, by Assemblymember Luz Rivas (D-San Fernando Valley), also requires water systems to notify customers about potential lead exposure when they replace lines. And the bill directs the state to use some of its allocation from last year’s federal infrastructure law to fully fund lead service line replacements on customers’ property. This year, the state will receive $249 million, and disbursements could increase over the next five years.
“California will be receiving an unprecedented amount of funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said Rivas. “We must capitalize on this historic opportunity by coupling those federal dollars with A.B. 1931, which will ban problematic partial replacements and require important health protections. Now is the time to act boldly.”
“I am proud to partner with EWG, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and CALPIRG on this critical piece of legislation,” she said. The groups sponsored the bill.
“Lead pipeline replacement is a welcome and much-needed effort to get lead out of Californians’ drinking water,” said Susan Little, EWG’s senior advocate for California government affairs. “A.B. 1931 will ensure that water systems comply with health-protective requirements when removing or disturbing a lead pipeline. It will also ensure that the work is done with vital health safeguards.”
Lead water pipes have been used in hundreds of cities, most commonly in water lines installed before the 1930s, and are a primary lead exposure source is drinking water.
A.B. 1931 prohibits water utilities from replacing only part of a lead service line, which can include lead pipes or fittings under streets, and any lead-based pipe or galvanized line attached to a lead pipe connected to a home. Partial replacements don’t cut lead in drinking water and cause spikes in lead levels, so banning them is vital for public health.
The bill also includes important consumer protections, such as notifying residents prior to lead pipe replacements, providing filters that remove lead from tap water, and water tests for lead levels before and after a complete pipe replacement. It also requires community water systems to create an accurate inventory of all known lead service lines in use.
There’s no safe level of exposure to lead, a potent neurotoxin that can cause brain damage and lower IQ, among other health problems. Because of their developing bodies, babies and young children under age 6 are especially vulnerable to lead’s effects.
A recent study showed that even at very low levels, any early-life lead exposure, regardless of the source, raised the chances of being reported for teen juvenile delinquency. The number of such complaints rose as early-life blood lead level increased.
“Lead is highly toxic, especially for children,” said Jenn Engstrom, state director of CALPIRG. “To ensure safe drinking water for our communities, we must get the lead out of our drinking water systems.”
“We applaud the California Assembly for advancing A.B. 1931, which directs federal funds to help families remove all lead pipes and parts on their property,” she said.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by President Joe Biden in November provides $15 billion nationwide to remove lead service lines that provide drinking water to homes, businesses and schools. The law will pay for full replacements of lead pipes and full replacement of galvanized pipes attached to lead fittings.
A.B. 1931 directs California’s State Water Resources Control Board to use the federal funds to create a grant program to fund consumers’ lead pipe replacements. About 550,000 galvanized pipes could be, or could have been, attached to lead fittings in California.
“This bill will help ensure that California spends federal lead service line funding to get lead out of drinking water throughout the state,” said NRDC attorney Corinne Bell. “There is so much more work to be done, but A.B. 1931 formally begins a deliberate conversation about protecting communities from lead.”
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The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action. https://www.ewg.org/californiacosmetics
CALPIRG, the California Public Interest Research Group, is a statewide nonprofit organization that works to protect public health and consumers. Learn more at https://calpirg.org/
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) works to safeguard the earth – its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. We believe the world’s children should inherit a planet that will sustain them as it has sustained us. NRDC works to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water and the wild, and to prevent special interests from undermining public interests. https://www.nrdc.org/
