Bill would require all lead service lines to be replaced within 10 years

November 2019

The bill is being written by state Sen. Troy Singleton, D-7 of Delran, and will be formally introduced by the senator on Thursday before the Senate panel meets. A draft copy of the legislation lays out an aggressive schedule for utilities and water departments to comply with in order to alleviate the danger of lead exposure from drinking water.

Legislation requiring all public water systems in New Jersey to create inventories of any lead pipes within their systems and replace them within 10 years will be heard by the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee this week.

The bill is being sponsored by state Sen. Troy Singleton, D-7 of Delran, and will be formally introduced on Thursday before the Senate panel meets. A draft copy of the legislation lays out an aggressive schedule for utilities and water departments to comply with in order to alleviate the danger of lead exposure from drinking water.

Specifically, the draft bill calls for water systems to create and submit to the state Department of Environmental Protection a detailed inventory of all known lead service lines in their distribution systems within 18 months. After the inventory is submitted, the utility will then have 90 days to provide notice to any customers served by any lead pipes, including information about the health effects of lead exposure and steps customers can take to reduce their exposure.

More than 161,000 lead service lines are believed to still be in place across some 104 water systems in New Jersey, including several operating in Burlington County. Replacing them all is expected to cost over $2 billion and will involve performing work on private property.