CLEVELAND — The Environmental Protection Agency released new rules late last year requiring most lead pipes to be removed within the next 10 years to protect Americans from lead in their drinking water.

What You Need To Know

  • Cleveland has 176,000 left to go

  • Akron has been replacing its 50,000 lead lines with copper ones since the 1960s

  • Replacing each lead line costs $3 to $8,000. 

This means cities will have to come up with a plan to replace all their lead pipes used for water service. Each city is responsible for finding funding, notifying their customers and replacing the pipes by the end of 2034.

But one northeast Ohio city is already ahead of the game and plans to have all their lead pipes removed by the end of the year.

The City of Akron has been replacing its lead water lines for decade.

“Prior to 1930, the material of choice for laying these small service lines was made of lead,"said Jeff Bronowski, the water supply bureau manager for the City of Akron. ”And it was it was a material that was very easy to work with. From the perspective of it could be used to work around bends very simply.”  

Bronowski said people began to notice lead pipes could lead to some serious health effects starting in the 1940s and 50s. 

Water can corrode lead pipes and eventually contaminate the water passing through them. Customers who consume that water can be at risk for lead poisoning. Akron has been replacing its 50,000 lead lines with copper ones since the 1960s and is down to fewer than 1,400 remaining. Many of them are over 100 years old. The copper lines are expected to last at least 50 years.

“When we're all said and done, we will be one of the largest lead free cities so this will be a huge accomplishment," said Nick Marshall with Akron’s water department.

Other cities in the state are also working to replace their lead service lines. Cincinnati has replaced 6,100 lines and has fewer than 35,000 left.

Columbus launched a pilot program last year and is in the process of identifying lead service lines. They've found around 40,000 so far, but could have 50,000 to 60,000 more. So far, 54 have been replaced.

Cleveland has the most lines. They've replaced 7,300 since 2023 and have around 176,000 left to go.

Replacing each line costs $3 to $8,000. Which includes replacing galvanized pipes that were at any point connected to a lead pipe. Marshall, who is also is the civil engineer overseeing Akron’s removal project, said it's part of a bigger picture.

“It's in the public right away," said Marshall. “We on the line. We have to replace it. So, you know, the residents don't have a say, but it's obviously for for the betterment, for public health and for the water system as a whole.”

Grald McDougal, an Akron resident, lives on a street that had its lead pipes replaced. He said he’s pleased with the city’s initiative.

Akron received $10 million in state and federal funding to help pay for the last leg of the project.

Mays and Sons and Spano Bros are the contractors replacing the pipes in Akron.

The lead and copper rule improvements was issued by the Biden Harris administration in October 2024 with a $2.6 billion investment for the project.