Congressman Tim Kennedy announced Feb. 18 that the city of Buffalo will receive $1,092,000 in federal funding earmarked for the replacement of lead service lines. The money will directly support the city's Replacing Our Lead Lines (ROLL) initiative with an emphasis on neighborhoods identified as disadvantaged communities — notably, areas of the city with high rates of elevated blood lead levels in children and low-income families.
An estimated 110 households are expected to have water lead levels fully replaced with these new funds.
"Clean drinking water should not be a privilege for the few, but rather a basic right for every American here in the City of Good Neighbors; no child should be exposed to lead because of aging, outdated infrastructure," Kennedy said during an announcement at the Colonel Ward Pumping Station in Buffalo.
Kennedy was joined by Mayor Sean Ryan, members of the Buffalo Common Council and other local constituents who applauded the congressman's success in bringing additional funding to Buffalo while stressing the need for yet more money.
City officials estimate that 40,000 to 60,000 lead service lines still need to be replaced. The Environmental Protection Agency is requiring water utility agencies to remove all lead service lines and galvanized lines in need of replacement by the year 2038. Ryan said that will cost over $1 billion for the City of Buffalo.
"It's no mystery that the city of Buffalo has an aging infrastructure. We've seen evidence of that the last few weeks with the broken water mains have been taking place around the city of Buffalo," he said.
Officials also emphasized the effects of lead-contaminated water on children in Buffalo. The city has the highest rates of elevated blood lead levels in children, according to data from the New York State Department of Health. Three Buffalo ZIP codes are among the state's top five with the highest rates of child lead poisoning, and those three ZIP codes are comprised of majority-minority populations.
Child lead poisoning is associated with irreversible damage to the mental and physical development of children, including developmental delays, decreased growth, behavioral problems and learning disabilities.
"When we're talking about lead pipes and the infrastructure, we're talking about our children, we're talking about them going to school being infected by lead" said Masten District Common Councilmember Zeneta Everhart.
The new federal funding is in addition to the $1.6 million that Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced the Erie County Water Authority would receive last month. That agency provides water to several municipalities outside of the city of Buffalo.
