PORTLAND, Maine — The Environmental Protection Agency is granting states across the country millions of dollars to identify and replace lead pipes. Lead pipes have been banned in Maine since 1926, which puts the state decades ahead of others.
Maine could receive as much as $28,650,000 over the next five years to help replace infrastructure to ensure safe, lead-free drinking water.
Municipalities and public water systems are in the process of checking their service lines to see if they contain lead.
Maine Center for Disease Control Drinking Water Program Director Amy LaChance said she has only heard about there being a couple dozen lead service lines around the state. Towns are required to turn in their inventory data by October so the state has a better understanding of its need, she added.
"We don't have the whole picture yet, but so far we are really not hearing of many lead services lines at all," LaChance said.
Portland Water District has checked more than 60,000 service pipes over the past couple of years, its director of asset management and planning, Chris Crovo, said.
Crovo said the city doesn't have any public lead pipes, and crews are still investigating a couple hundred customer-owned, private pipes.
"Even though it's nice to have federal money helping us, it's a relief that we really don't have a problem," he said.
The state has been decades ahead of the problem, putting communities in better shape than other cities and states in the country.
"A lot of the bigger cities have 40,000-50,000 lead services they're going to need to replace on their side and on the customer side," Crovo said. "That number, that's our whole system."
Portland's water system contains galvanized pipe, which could harbor lead. Crovo said crews found about 11,000 feet of galvanized lead, which they are in the process of replacing.
Maine has applied for $20 million from the EPA based on the state's current needs. It's possible Maine won't need all $28 million that's available since the state is so far ahead of the problem, LaChance said.
If Maine doesn't have the necessary projects to utilize all of the funding, it could go to other states facing more challenges with its infrastructure.