COLUMBUS – State Rep. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus), along with environmental advocates and community partners, kicked off a four-day, statewide press tour highlighting the need to pass House Bill (HB) 534 - Ohio’s Lead Line Replacement Act- on Tuesday. Ohio currently ranks third in the nation for the most lead pipes serving families.
“It is a stark reminder that where you live should not determine whether you live. We have the data. We have the numbers. And now, as a state, we must make a choice,” said Rep. Jarrells.
Exposure to lead, even at low levels, can cause serious health effects in all age groups — especially in children. Removing these service lines is not only critical to protecting Ohioans from the threat of lead exposure in drinking water, but it comes with an extreme economic incentive for Ohio as well. A brand new report shows the monetized social benefit of replacement of lead pipes will grow Ohio’s economy by between $145 and $185B over the next 15 years.
“Ohio is home to an estimated 745,000 lead water service lines. The threat of lead exposure from our drinking water has lingered in our homes, our family member’s homes, our daycares and schools, and anywhere that we grab water from the tap for far too long. By requiring public water systems to get the lead out within 15 years with no exceptions or extended timelines, this bill will protect Ohio’s most vulnerable - children, pregnant women, and marginalized communities - who disproportionately suffer from lead exposure. Getting the lead out is long-overdue, and the time to do it is now with federal and state dollars flowing for lead line replacement. This common-sense legislation will protect public health, create jobs, grow Ohio’s economy, and ensure a healthy and safe future for Ohio families,” said Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund’s Annalisa Rocca.
HB 534 includes key provisions that support workforce development and ensure low- and moderate-income customers will not be burdened by the cost of replacement.
“The Flint crisis triggered a long-needed, national reckoning with lead in drinking water. As a public health advocate and new parent following Flint, I dug into the data on lead in drinking water, learning how we'd failed as a country to adequately test for and control lead. I learned that lead levels in water can vary hugely from minute to minute and day to day and house to house even within the same water system. Having a ‘passing’ test on one day from a few houses in the system is no guarantee that the system's water is safe for all consumers. Also, on the whole, Great Lakes water systems hover just below the older, inadequate federal action level, meaning that they have significant amounts of harmful lead in their water. In sum, the only way to truly protect people from lead is to remove it completely from the system – and this bill will put Ohio on the path to do so,” said Alliance for the Great Lakes’ Meleah Green.
“As Junction Coalition is a recipient of the Center for Disease Control Lead Free Communities grant, the representative is spot on when referencing that zero amounts of lead are safe for human consumption. This is not just a state goal for lead-free communities, but a national goal of lead-free communities. From local to state to federal, it will take all of us to protect our families. We are the public in public health and public utilities. The commitment is to have lead-free communities at every area code: #419 (Toledo) get the lead out, #614 (Columbus) get the lead out and #216 (Cleveland) get the lead out, and all of Ohio to get the lead out,” said Junction Coalition’s Alicia Smith.
After Tuesday’s event, Rep. Jarrells, local elected officials and environmental advocates will make stops in Youngstown (September 18th), Cleveland (September 19th) and finally Cincinnati (September 20th).