ITHACA, N.Y. — The city has hundreds of lead pipes running underneath its sidewalks, through public right-of-ways and into people’s homes. Last month, President Joe Biden’s administration ordered all municipalities to replace them within 10 years, with residents potentially bearing part of the financial burden.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released their Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) in October, which imposed the strictest limits to lead levels in drinking water since the rule was first published in 1991.
Ithaca’s water system dates back to the 1860s and is made up of around 5,500 service lines, or pipes, according to Scott Gibson, the city’s water and sewer assistant superintendent. The city hasn’t determined how many lines it will need to replace, but it could be between 14% and 25% of the city’s entire water system, Gibson said.
Lead poisoning can cause permanent damage to all organ systems in the body, especially the nervous system. Children are at higher risk because they absorb lead in higher concentrations than adults, which overtime, can result in learning and other developmental disabilities over time.
The city has taken inventory of lead pipes for several years now and reported their findings to the EPA on Oct. 16. The report noted 493 pipes in the city are made out of lead and need to be replaced. It also noted 310 pipes that are galvanized, or zinc coated, which Gibson said will also need to be replaced, as they may have once been lined with lead or are connected to other lead pipes.
Gibson’s department noted 618 pipes made of unknown materials they still need to test, but per EPA requirements, the city has to continue the process of testing and update the reports with new information annually.
Gibson hopes that in continuing to take inventory, the city will have an accurate account of all the pipes that need to be replaced before the city is required to comply with the new ruling in 2027.
Gibson said he expects it’ll take 10-12 years to replace all of Ithaca’s pipes. Some areas with higher concentrations of lead pipes include Spencer Road and Fall Creek.
While some estimates say lead pipe replacements would cost an average of $5,000, Gibson said the cost for Ithaca residents could be much higher.
From their home to the curb, homeowners may have to pay for the entire lead pipe replacement on their own. An average homeowner in Ithaca could pay between $7,000 to $9,000 to replace the private portion of the service line, Gibson said.
Beyond the curb, the water service lands within the public right-of-way, and homeowners are responsible for paying up to $3,000 for lead pipe replacement, which could potentially raise the cost of adhering to the new rule to $12,000.
The rest of the public right-of-way replacement would be paid for by the city with help from federal grants. After the upgrade, the city is responsible for maintaining this segment of the service line.
There may be light at the end of the pipe for homeowners, however. Most of the lead services needing to be replaced are on the city side, Gibson said.
When the time comes for the department to begin replacing the pipes, Gibson said construction would not inconvenience Ithaca residents more than usual. Just a few city blocks would be closed off, but it wouldn’t be any different than the construction work residents regularly see.
The city is currently in the process of applying for federal grants to replace lead service lines. The US government committed to supporting nationwide legacy lead pipe replacements through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and have set aside over $26 billion dollars in funding. This includes an additional $2.6 billion influx to drinking water infrastructure funding to states.
Replacing all of the state’s lead pipes could cost at least $2.5 billion, according to reporting from New York Focus. The report also said that the state is on track to receive more than $500 million in federal infrastructure funds to replace the pipes by 2026.
For Ithaca residents, this multi-billion dollar difference could mean higher water rates and taxes, unless the state can conjure up some extra cash.
“It’s just another example of the government putting an unfunded mandate on a local community, and then we have to figure out how to fund it,” Gibson said.
One potential strategy is to require homeowners who are looking to sell their home to upgrade any lead or galvanized piping. This would be similar to the way rural homeowners have to ensure their septic system is functional before selling, Gibson said.
“To me, that’s the easiest way out of this thing,” Gibson said. “When you’re selling a house for $400 grand, what’s $12 grand?”
Regardless of who’s paying, the city has to come up with a way to replace around double the number of water services per year with already limited resources.
Gibson estimates the new rule will force the department to replace upwards of 150 services per year. Currently, the department is required to replace 50 to 60 services a year.
The increased yearly workload means the city will have to begin contracting out to a company to replace services, Gibson said. The resulting cost increase will fall on the ratepayers, Gibson said. Without outsourcing these jobs, the city won’t be able to complete routine water main and sewer replacements.
For local landlord Suzy Kramer, higher water rates would continue to eat away at her already slim margins. Without federal assistance, footing a $12,000 bill would “be a nightmare,” Kramer said.
Kramer said it’s already difficult for her to charge enough for rent to break even, and wonders how much more she’ll be able to raise rents before her prices become unaffordable.
“We can’t raise them high enough to cover our costs,” Kramer said.
Kramer was notified years ago that her home was serviced by lead pipes, but she couldn’t afford to replace them. Instead, she uses a Brita filter and buys jugs of water because she doesn’t feel safe drinking from her tap.
Kramer’s daughter, who’s now 21, had elevated blood lead levels as a child. It turns out it was probably her carpet that was releasing lead dust, Kramer said.
In Tompkins County, drinking water has not been found to be the most concerning source of lead poisoning, according to Skip Parr, an environmental health specialist at Tompkins County Whole Health.
More common sources of lead in the home, Parr and others at the Whole Health Department said, are dust from flaking lead paint, antique furniture and dining ware, costume jewelry and imported products like medicine, ointments and spices.
But lead poisoning from water is not ubiquitous locally, despite the hundreds of lead pipes in the city. This is because Ithaca’s drinking water has a relatively neutral pH, which is not conducive to lead leaching into the water.
“We don’t have a lead problem right now. We have a lead infrastructure problem, but not a drinking water problem,” Gibson said.
Cases of elevated blood levels in children in the county have decreased from 24 cases in 2020 to 8 cases in 2023, Parr said. The number of facilities with lead exceedances has also gone down in recent years. Between 2019 and 2021, the county recorded three lead exceedances at two different facilities. There were no exceedances in 2022 and 2023.
Since at least 2015, the city has remained under the actionable lead level in drinking water, according to water quality reports from the city.
Parr said he wasn’t sure if the county would be able to see a decrease in the number of kids with elevated blood lead levels as a direct result of this rule. Regardless, Parr thinks it’s a good idea to replace legacy lead pipes. It’s also a good opportunity for the county to work on further educating residents about lead exposure, he said.
City officials will be reaching out to people who will be affected on Nov. 15 to inform them their pipes must be replaced. Those who remain affected will continue to be notified on a yearly basis.
Correction: This story initially said President Joe Biden’s administration introduced the new rule in November. It was introduced in October.