Mayor Eric Adams, alongside Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), unveiled a significant initiative aimed at protecting the health of New Yorkers by expanding a free program to replace private lead water lines in low-income neighborhoods.

This $48 million investment is a crucial step towards ensuring access to clean, safe drinking water for all residents.

Commissioner Aggarwala commenced the event, highlighting the importance of this initiative in collaboration with federal resources: “Good afternoon, everybody. I’m glad that you all came today for a very important announcement about how the city is working in conjunction with the federal government to keep New Yorkers safe in every aspect of their drinking water.”

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Mayor Adams emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “We want to continue to make sure… that we make our city more affordable, because keeping New Yorkers safe is about more than just reducing crime. It includes the delivery of New York City’s water supply, and that it continues to come in a very healthy way.” He went on to explain the dangers of lead exposure, particularly for children: “Lead has an amazing, dangerous impact on people in general, but specifically children. It could have an impact on the brain development and overall health of a child, and that’s why we want to make sure that lead is not in our drinking water.”

Historically, lead pipes have been banned in New York City since 1960; however, many privately owned water service lines were built before this ban and remain in use today, disproportionately affecting low-income communities. “Our city already delivers lead-free water to every household in New York City,” Adams assured, “but we’re not stopping there. Today, we are announcing a $48 million investment to expand our free program to replace private water lines for eligible homeowners, ensuring they have the best infrastructure, bringing them clean, safe water that prevents lead exposure, and save families thousands of dollars.”

The mayor highlighted the financial burden of replacing lead service lines, which can cost between $10,000 and $15,000, and expressed gratitude for the federal bipartisan infrastructure law that made this program possible. “We’re dedicated to building a lead-free city. We’re going to lead the way in accomplishing that task,” he said, acknowledging the significance of supporting low-income New Yorkers.

Commissioner Aggarwala elaborated on the technical aspects of the initiative, emphasizing that while New York City’s drinking water is lead-free when it leaves the reservoirs, many older homes still have lead service lines. “While there is no lead in our distribution system, our challenge is that many older private properties have service lines of lead or galvanized steel,” he explained. “These lead service lines are most common in one to four family homes.”

As part of the outreach effort, approximately 150,000 letters will be sent to property owners to inform them about potential lead service lines. Aggarwala encouraged residents to take proactive measures, such as flushing their water in the morning to minimize lead exposure, stating, “The issue with lead is not really the water running through the pipes. It’s water sitting in the pipes.”

Luis Melendez, a local resident and one of the first beneficiaries of the new program, expressed his gratitude: “I want to thank Eric Adams, the mayor, and I hope in the next four years, when you get reelected, that you do the sewer line. We need to do the sewer line.” He further shared his personal experience, urging others to take advantage of the program: “I prefer that you all use this program… because honestly, I couldn’t afford it.”

Mayor Adams concluded the event by reiterating the importance of making New York City more affordable for all residents: “This city has become extremely unaffordable for far too many New Yorkers, and something as simple as this means a lot to saving homeowners $10,000.”