Grants and loan to Philadelphia will pay to replace miles of water mains and hundreds of lead water pipes

Philadelphia’s $500 million in newly allocated federal funding for water infrastructure improvements will soon accelerate lead pipe replacement, potentially removing the hazardous pipes from hundreds of city homes, Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) officials said.

President Biden announced the investments at a news conference during a visit to the city.

Philadelphia’s funding allocation comes from multiple sources. A loan from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) includes $19 million to replace 15 miles of aging water mains and an estimated 160 lead service lines at no cost to homeowners, Brian Rademaekers, a spokesperson for PWD, said. The first neighborhoods to see lead pipe removal should be Olney, Rhawnhurst, and Kingsessing neighborhoods, and parts of North Philadelphia.

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