California receives – California is set to receive $27.5 million in federal funding to find and replace lead service lines that carry drinking water to homes, part of a broader nationwide effort under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The tap runs the same every day. but for families living with lead service lines. that routine carries a silent risk. California will receive $27.5 million in federal funding to find and replace the toxic pipes that deliver drinking water to homes. the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this week.
The money will flow through California’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, the agency said in a statement Wednesday. Programs like the state revolving funds exist in every state and help public water systems pay for infrastructure projects needed to comply with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.
Lead is a neurotoxin. Exposure to even low levels can damage children’s brains and affect their development, and the stakes are personal for parents who count on the water coming out of the faucet to be safe.
Lead service lines were banned nationwide in 1986, but millions of homes still rely on them for tap water. In 2024, the EPA issued a rule requiring drinking water systems nationwide to replace these pipes within 10 years.
In a statement Thursday, EPA Pacific Southwest Region Administrator Michael Martucci framed the funding as a public health imperative, saying, “Getting the lead out of pipes is vital to the health and prosperity of children and families in communities all across America.”
The $27.5 million heading to California is part of $2.9 billion in lead pipe removal funding announced for states nationwide. The EPA said it was distributing the funds based on the location of about 4 million lead service lines across the country.
The federal plan also includes a second pot of money. The EPA said it will redistribute $18 million in Drinking Water State Revolving Fund money that had previously been made available to states to address lead but was never used. Those funds would be awarded to different states to replace lead service lines, the EPA statement said.
Taken together, the announcements show how the federal government is trying to keep pressure on a long, costly replacement timeline—one that matters most for the youngest residents who are most vulnerable to lead exposure.
California EPA lead service lines Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Safe Drinking Water Act Michael Martucci toxic lead pipes drinking water safety