Chicago getting $336 million federal loan to replace 30,000 lead water pipes

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago is getting a major funding boost from the federal government to help replace the city's toxic lead water pipes.

Chicago is getting a $336 million low-interest loan through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act to replace up to 30,000 lead pipes. The Biden administration said the loan will also create 2,700 jobs.

U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth joined Mayor Brandon Johnson on Friday afternoon to discuss the city's efforts to remove pipes made from brain-damaging lead. The CDC says there is no safe level of exposure to lead, especially in children. Lead can lead to behavior problems, learning disabilities, and irreversible brain damage.

"Water is life, and my administration is committed to ensuring that all Chicagoans can safely and affordably access this essential resource," Johnson said. "Today's award from the U.S. EPA is a huge boost to that effort."

An Illinois law that went into effect last year mandates that lead pipes be entirely removed when broken, on the basis that work on or around a lead service line could release particles that contaminate drinking water.

Chicago has 380,000 lead service lines. City officials have estimated it will cost up to $9 billion to replace all of them.