President Joe Biden announces $3 billion to replace lead pipes during Wilmington visit

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - President Joe Biden announced $3 billion in funding to replace toxic lead pipes nationwide during his visit to Wilmington on Thursday, May 2.

“There is no safe level of lead exposure. None,” Biden said.

Of that, North Carolina will get $76 million towards replacing an estimated 300,000 lead pipes in the state, and funding has already been granted to replace 325 lead pipes in Wilmington. The funding is part of Biden’s commitment to replace every lead pipe in the country in the next 10 years.

“The only way forward is to replace every lead service line that connects Americans to clean water. That’s why Kamala and I are making sure the administration is the first ever to set out to do it and we’re gonna get it done,” Biden said.

Nationwide, the funds will replace up to 1.7 million lead pipes.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development also announced nearly $90 million in funding to reduce health hazards in public housing including lead paint, carbon monoxide, mold, radon, fire safety and asbestos.

You can watch a full recording of the event below.

Biden was in Charlotte earlier in the day Thursday, where he met the families of law enforcement officers who were shot to death on the job earlier this week.

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