Mayor’s Roadmap: Paving the way to healthier cities

All Americans deserve to drink safe water. There are an estimated 9 million homes and businesses across the U.S. that still get their water from lead pipes, exposing millions of children and adults to negative health impacts associated with lead.  

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) have developed an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide to help mayors and other city leaders replace lead pipes in their cities. The Mayor’s Roadmap includes helpful resources for each step, including checklists, case studies, and example ordinances. Mayoral leadership is highlighted through an interactive map that spotlights mayors in the news.  

There is no safe level of lead exposure. Even at low levels, lead can impair children’s normal brain development, contributing to reading and learning disabilities, reduced IQs and attention spans, and other cognitive and behavioral problems. In adults, lead exposure increases the risk of hypertension and premature death from heart disease.  

The Case for Lead Pipe Replacement  

Replacing all remaining lead pipes would eliminate the largest source of lead in drinking water. Eliminating lead pipes would:  

• More than pay for itself. There are an estimated $22,000 in benefits per lead pipe replaced from avoided health harms such as cardiovascular disease – an impressive 3-to-1 return on investment.  
• Create jobs. This is shovel-ready work that involves construction and plumbing crews conducting the replacement, providing opportunities to build a robust local workforce. 
• Permanently upgrade aging infrastructure. Replacing aging lead pipes, which may be vulnerable to breaking or leaks, facilitates critical upgrades to water distribution systems. 
• Address disparities. People living in low-income, rural and communities of color may be more likely to be exposed to lead from drinking water.  

QUOTES: 

• Stephen Goldsmith, former Deputy Mayor of New York City and Mayor of Indianapolis: “Mayors can make such a difference in the lives of their residents, and there are few areas more tangible than improving the safety of drinking water. This roadmap provides mayors with a clear path forward and shows them how to leverage available funding." 
• Marcus Muhammad, Mayor of Benton Harbor, Michigan: "Lead is dangerous for our children, for our families, for our communities. We need to get the lead out, and that includes our pipes. I am proud to say the City of Benton Harbor has removed and replaced all 100% of our lead lines. We are happy to assist other cities as they take on this important process."  
• Dave Kaptain, Mayor of Elgin, Illinois: “It's about working together with your community, utilities, local contractors, government agencies and getting creative with funding levers. We want to make sure people know the importance of protecting their families from lead in drinking water, and to help us identify and replace these old service lines.”
• Paul Young, Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee: "Lead exposure threatens community health, especially for our children. Although Memphis is leading in the state and region for lead pipe replacement, we know that there is still work to be done. That's why Memphis is committed to making even more significant gains in replacing our city's lead pipes within the next 10 years, focusing on older neighborhoods first. I believe this roadmap can help us – and other communities like ours – toward healthier communities."  
• Lindsay McCormick, EDF Senior Manager, Safer Chemicals: “This roadmap gives mayors the tools to tackle the challenge of lead pipe replacement. There is no safe level of lead exposure, and children are especially vulnerable to these harmful effects from lead in drinking water. We stand by mayors who are leading the charge to get the lead out in their cities.”    
• Dr. Tim Male, EPIC Executive Director: “In around 10 years, almost every mayor in the US should be able to say their town’s water is free from lead. We’re committed to making that happen by equipping mayors with the information, tools, and resources they need to remove lead pipes faster, fairer, and forever.” 

The Mayor’s Roadmap was developed by EDF and EPIC. Partners include Harvard University’s Data-Smart City Solutions at the Bloomberg Center for Cities, Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC), Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO), and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative. 

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The Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to build policies that deliver spectacular improvements in the speed and scale of environmental progress. We deliver data-driven policy analysis, innovation, and technical assistance to eliminate disparities across water systems and ensure more residents across the country have access to safe and reliable drinking water. With regard to lead service line replacement, our aim has been and continues to be to ensure the country is on track to replace lead service lines quickly and efficiently within the next ten years. To learn more, please visit our website at: www.policyinnovation.org