(Des Moines, Iowa) – U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn announced legislation Wednesday to assist communities with the replacement of lead service lines, including the more than 20,000 lines in Des Moines. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Nunn made the announcement during a news conference at Des Moines Water Works in his home district. The city’s utility also announced the start of its lead service line replacement program, the first phase of which will tackle connections at about 400 homes in the Drake neighborhood. Nunn’s bill aims to make previously allocated funding for lead service line replacement more accessible to communities in need. Newly appointed CEO of Des Moines Water Works Amy Kahler said this will make it “easier to replace these lines with fewer financial impacts to customers.”

Kahler said without federal support, it would cost Des Moines Water Works an estimated $200 million to replace all of the lead service lines in the metro, which would increase utility rates for customers by around 30%. The Biden administration dedicated $15 billion to replacing lead service lines via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In October 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule that required drinking water systems to identify and replace all lead pipes within a 10-year span.

U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn announces a bill to help remove lead pipes from residences. He was joined by Des Moines Mayor Connie Boesen (left) and Des Moines Water Works CEO Amy Kahler (right). (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

The funds were allocated to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund from which states, with a 20% match, would receive a 30-year loan to replace the lead service lines. Disadvantaged communities would have 40 years to repay the loans, according to information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Nunn’s bill would allocate these funds to disadvantaged census tracts via grants or forgivable loans and without some of the required local matches. Nunn introduced a similar bill last year, also in collaboration with Democratic Rep. Emilia Sykes from Ohio, which did not advance.

Across the U.S., there are an estimated 9.2 million lead service lines. According to a 2023 EPA report, Iowa has an estimated 90,000 service lines with lead in them. Exposure to lead in drinking water is especially harmful to children and infants, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and can lead to decreased cognitive performance or developmental issues. Service lines connect from water mains to an individual property. These lines are not owned by the city or utilities, which means property owners are usually responsible for the often costly burden of replacing the pipes.

Nunn also commented on the recent attention to high concentrations of nitrate in the water supplies in Iowa and said it is important to not put the “blame just on ag.”