New Jersey lawmakers on June 24 gave final passage to a bill (A5343/S3398) that would require every community water system in New Jersey to inventory their service lines within six months.
The bill also requires these systems to replace each of those pipes within 10 years, but water systems could apply for a 5 year extension, reported New Jersey Local News.
According to American Water Works Association estimates, there are 350,000 lead service lines in New Jersey, and replacing all of them will cost an estimated $2.3 billion, reported New Jersey Local News.
The legislation passed the state Senate with an unanimous vote and the Assembly on with a 73-0 vote. The bill is a part of a $500 million statewide bond initiative to address lead contamination around the state, which Gov. Phil Murphy put forward in 2019, reported New Jersey Local News.
The new bill will allow investor-owned companies to assess fees on customers within an affected water system to pay for their lead line replacement programs and the state Board of Public Utilities would have to approve such fees.
The bipartisan infrastructure deal announced by President Joe Biden and 10 U.S. Senators include $45 billion to deal with problem pipes around the nation, may assist with funding costs, reported New Jersey Local News.
“While we hope that Congress will take such action, we cannot count on it,” said Chris Sturm, the managing director of policy and water for New Jersey Future in a statement, reported New Jersey Local News. “The state of New Jersey may need to dedicate a portion of American Rescue Plan funds for this purpose, especially for those communities that already struggle with unaffordable water rates.”
New Jersey would be the third state to mandate replacement of lead pipes if the bill passes, according to the Environmental Defense Fund, reported North Jersey Media Group.
