Bridgeport, Greenwich and Connecticut’s lead pipe problem

It’s been more than 50 years since the passage of the Safe Drinking Water Act, the law that expanded the government’s power to monitor American water systems. It has been another 12 years since the water crisis in Flint, Mich., and three years since the federal government began its renewed push to remove lead pipes across the United States.

Countless Americans — and thousands in Connecticut — still drink water that flows through lead pipes.

That’s a testament to the scale of the problem (especially in Midwest states like Illinois and Ohio) but also to the difficulty and expense required to dig up the millions of lead pipes that crisscross the United States. Last week, the state of Connecticut received $27.5 million from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help in that effort.

More records pinpointing the exact locations of pipes are entering the public sphere, the result of an initiative that began under President Joe Biden aimed at tightening drinking water rules and replacing every lead pipe in the U.S. The new rules require every water utility to achieve that latter goal within a 10-year period beginning in 2027.

Connecticut’s issues with lead pipes are relatively minor. The state has just under 8,000 lead conduits, plus an additional 4,200 lines made of a type of steel that also needs to be replaced. Galvanized steel, the EPA has determined, absorbs and releases lead from connected plumbing lines.

That’s around 12,200 lines in Connecticut that have been flagged for replacement, or about 2.5% of the total lines linked to water utility companies statewide.

States like Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan have a much heftier problem on their hands. Illinois, for example, has more than 450,000 lead or galvanized pipes, putting it first nationally. According to reports from water utilities in the state, 18% of all service lines contain lead. Most of those lines are in Chicago, where the problem is so severe that the EPA authored a special carve-out, giving the city double the allotted time to comply with the new federal rule.

Connecticut’s problems appear to be mostly concentrated in two towns — Greenwich and Bridgeport — according to the EPA’s data and a separate map produced by Aquarion. Aquarion is one of the state’s largest water utilities and serves both towns. A spokesperson for the company told CT Insider that Greenwich has more than 1,400 pipes in need of replacement, while Bridgeport has at least 2,800.

These figures remain estimates. Connecticut’s water companies have indicated that the composition of more than 200,000 pipelines is “unknown.” The companies have reported around 520,000 pipes overall; it’s not clear how many others might also be made of lead or galvanized steel. 

Bridgeport operates a lead prevention program, one focused on another common source of lead: paint. Older homes were often constructed with lead paint that, over time, can chip and peel. This is particularly hazardous for children, who ingest the sweet-tasting chips. Measurements of lead levels in children’s blood across the state show higher concentrations in poorer towns.

The pipe problem isn’t confined to the cities mentioned above. The Regional Water Authority that serves the City of New Haven reports around 2,000 pipes, mostly galvanized steel, that need replacement. There are only around 20 actual lead pipes in their service area, their figures show, though that includes a lead pipe running in the street next to Milford Town Hall.

Meanwhile, the Waterbury Water Department reported just 1,000 lead pipes still in service, and New London’s Department of Public Utilities reported around 500.

The presence of lead pipes doesn’t necessarily mean that lead, which has been shown to stunt brain development in children, is poisoning your drinking water. For decades, American water systems have added chemicals to prevent water from corroding the pipes through which they run, reducing or eliminating leaching.

Water utilities also test their own product. For the past six years, Aquarion’s Bridgeport water treatment plant hasn’t exceeded the health threshold, according to EPA records.

Aquarion, like every other utility in Connecticut, has until 2037 to come into compliance with the EPA’s new rules. If you aren’t interested in waiting 11 years, you can have your home’s water tested much sooner.