By: Follow South Jersey Staff
SOUTH JERSEY — The South Jersey communities of Blackwood, Camden, Clementon, and Ventnor are four of ten New Jersey municipalities to receive federal assistance “in accelerating progress toward lead service line identification and replacement,” the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced recently.
As part of the EPA’s “Lead Service Line Replacement Accelerators” initiative, “this initiative, which is in partnership with the Department of Labor and New Jersey, will work to provide targeted technical assistance services to help underserved communities reduce exposure to lead in drinking water and to protect health of New Jersey children and families,” according to a press release from NJEPA.
“There is no safe level of exposure to lead,” EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox stated in the press release. “That’s why President Biden has called for 100% removal of lead pipes, and EPA is partnering with 10 New Jersey communities to accelerate progress. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we finally have the funds to do just that. New Jersey’s role in lead service line replacement serves as a model for the rest of the nation. Together we can protect children and families where they live, work, and play.”
The communities, work with EPA and the State of New Jersey, will receive water technical assistance “to identify lead pipes in their water systems, access infrastructure funds, and develop plans to replace lead pipes that pose risks to human health.”
“Any amount of lead in our nation’s drinking water infrastructure is a threat to the health and well-being of American residents and families,” Senator Bob Menendez stated. “As home to some of the oldest water infrastructure in the nation, I have fought tirelessly to secure the federal funding necessary to continue replacing New Jersey’s lead service lines and modernizing drinking water pipes in communities across the state.”
The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that dedicates $15 billion to lead service line removal and replacement.
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has brought historic levels of funding to replace lead service lines and remove a threat to the health of our most vulnerable neighbors, particularly children,” Senator Cory Booker stated.
According to US EPA, “the initiative, in partnership with the Department of Labor, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Wisconsin, is addressing existing barriers and accelerating progress towards lead service line identification and replacement.”
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