Yeah, but lead pipe replacements are only one of numerous improvements that are required to water infrastructure. Additionally, mainly lead lines are lateral li

Yeah, but lead pipe replacements are only one of numerous improvements that are required to water infrastructure. Additionally, mainly lead lines are lateral lines, which in many municipalities fall under the home owners responsibility to replace and maintain, just like in sewage. > Replacing lead-lines is the only way to keep water 100% lead-free on its way from supply to tap. Sure, but treating the pipes brings lead consumption down to 'acceptable' levels. Acceptable in this case means that it can be filtered through a household carbon-based filter. I've never read your 90% figure anywhere, generally the figure that's cited is: > The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) has reduced the maximum allowable lead content -- that is, content that is considered "lead-free" -- to be a weighted average of 0.25 percent calculated across the wetted surfaces of pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fittings, and fixtures and 0.2 percent for solder and flux. This is not a zero-sum game, so while the EPA and Congress acknowledge that lead is dangerous, there are other components which compound this problem. Hence the search for mitigation. This is common throughout any infrastructure problem, not just water. I'm glad your town raised the funds to do that, but it's certainly not the norm and probably shouldn't be considered an expectation as you'd immediately price out most of America doing that.