Ohio lawmakers want to replace all of the state's lead water lines
Drinking water photo from the Ohio Governor's Office.
Ohio lawmakers are introducing a bipartisan bill they are hoping will not only improve the state's water quality, but also save lives.
Ohio state Reps. Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, and Monica Robb Blasdel, R-Columbiana, are introducing the Lead Line Replacement Act.
'This legislation aims to keep our community safe and healthy by implementing a comprehensive regulatory framework to plan, execute, and assist in the replacement of all lead water lines in the state of Ohio,' Robb Blasdel said. 'Lead water lines are a relic of the past. However, despite the danger, we know these are still in use all across our state.'
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Ohio has 745,000 lead service lines and nearly 4,000 Ohio children are tested for high levels of lead poisoning, said Jarrells, who is a survivor of lead poisoning.
'Ohio is in a crisis,' he said. 'The number (of lead poisoning) is likely higher because of the reality that not every child in this state is tested.'
The use of lead pipes was banned by Congress in 1986. In 2021, Ohio ranked third in the nation for the most lead pipes, according to the EPA.
Lead is able to enter drinking water through the corrosion of lead or lead-contaminated water service lines.
No amount of lead exposure is safe for children, the lawmakers said.
'Replacing each of these (lead lines) will be a challenging task, but one we firmly believe is attainable,' Robb Blasdel said. 'This bill would mandate local water providers to work with the state to identify these lines, develop a plan to replace these lines with safe alternatives, and execute this plan over a 15 year time period.'
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency would be responsible for overseeing enacting this mandate if the legislation passes.
'This bill also prohibits partial replacements that can make contamination worse,' Jarrells said.
It would cost nearly $5 billion to remediate every single lead line in Ohio, he said.
'I didn't introduce this in the budget because I wanted to do the work to make it bipartisan,' Jarrells said.
He put forth a similar bill during the last General Assembly, but it only had sponsor testimony in committee.
'This is necessary,' Jarrells said. 'This is a human issue, and to introduce this bill with bipartisan support, that's how we're going to ultimately see this bill become law.'
Lawmakers say replacing Ohio's lead lines would lead to fewer cases of dementia, depression, anemia, coronary heart disease, cardiovascular mortality, infant mortality, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Lead poisoning poses a threat not just to children. Adults exposed to lead are more likely to experience increased risks of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, kidney and nervous system problems, said Annalisa Rocca, the drinking water manager for the Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund.
'I grew up turning on the kitchen tap without a second thought, and most Ohioans still do the same, unaware that an unseen lead service line may be supplying their water,' she said.
Archie Beasley, lead program director of the Junction Coalition, serves a Toledo neighborhood that has 100-year-old homes with lead lines underneath them that are transporting lead into kitchens and bathrooms.
'We're going to make sure that no child goes to their kitchen sink, that no child goes to their grandmother's kitchen sink and gets water out of the refrigerator, and they're going to be drinking lead water that is going to impact their health,' he said.
Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky.
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