Minnesota sets goal to replace lead lines by 2033
Minnesota has set a goal to remove all pipes with the toxic metal linked to a host of health risks by 2033 in response to a national mandate compelling states to replace lead service lines by 2037. The state has measured $243 million in allocations by the Legislature for lead line replacement since 2023. About $350 million in federal funding through bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is further buoying the effort.
However, state or federal funding is not expected to last beyond 2027 unless further action is taken, prompting the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, as part of a group informally known as the lead pipes coalition, to advocate for $250 million in lead line replacement funding from the Legislature this session.
“The program would just fall off a cliff without continuing investment in it,” said Elizabeth Wefel, a lobbyist with the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities. “We’ve got programs that are set up or getting set up and we need to continue that momentum.”
