Vice President Kamala Harris pitches plans to remove lead from water in Pittsburgh

Vice President Kamala Harris was in Pittsburgh Friday afternoon to pitch the Biden administration's plan to remove dangerous lead pipes from America's drinking water supplies.

KDKA political editor Jon Delano was with the vice president, who spent part of the afternoon at the Community Empowerment Association in Homewood.

The vice president was in Homewood because disadvantaged communities are most at risk for lead pipe water contamination. But it's happening everywhere because in this region, four out of five homes were built before lead was banned in 1978.

Pittsburgh has been a step ahead of many cities by installing safe lead-free water lines for many homeowners, and Harris said this local work was a model for others around the country.

"I just want to thank the leaders here in Pittsburgh for the work that you have been doing," she told a small gathering that included County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Mayor Ed Gainey, Congressman Mike Doyle, Congressman Conor Lamb, state Sen. Jay Costa, and state Rep. Martell Covington.

Harris said the problem is a serious one affecting millions of homeowners.

"On the issue of lead pipes, we know that up to 10 million homes in our country have lead pipes that are feeding water that flows in our homes," she said.

The vice president announced a $500 million program to educate about the dangers of lead pipes, to help homeowners learn if they are at risk and to replace unsafe pipes everywhere.

"That money will go to a number of things: public education. It will go to what the local governments can do to facilitate testing, home tests, things of that nature. And it will go then to the removal of lead pipes," Harris said.

The vice president stressed safe drinking water was not reserved for the wealthy.  This money from the Infrastructure bill must be spent equitably to help all communities replace unsafe water lines.

"This is not a function of how much money you have to remove the lead pipes. It is an issue of public health.  We have talked about the damage to children and adults from drinking water that has lead. And, three, this is an education issue.  This is literally an issue about the education of our children."

Lead poisoning has a profound effect on children, especially at a young age.

Over a four-year period, the Allegheny County Health Department found over 1,700 kids in this county alone were harmed by lead.

No surprise that local officials have made it a high priority.

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Vice President Kamala Harris met with local leaders to highlight the Biden administration's funding for replacing lead pipes. 

Congressman Mike Doyle said $55 billion is earmarked for water projects, $15 billion of which will specifically go towards lead pipe removal. 

"Our children are going to be able to breathe a little bit better and not be exposed to lead," Doyle said as he introduced the vice president. 

Harris said up to 10 million homes in the country have lead pipes and at least 24 million have lead paint. She said some people who rent may not even know about the dangers in their homes, saying drinking "toxic water" can lead to developmental issues in children and increase blood pressure and decrease kidney function in adults.

She touted the administration's efforts to educate the public and fund lead line replacement.  

"We believe that all people have a right to be able to drink clean water, that all people have a right to breathe clean air," Harris said. 

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The Vice President of the United States will be visiting our city today to speak on a hot topic - infrastructure funding.

When Vice President Kamala Harris stops in Pittsburgh, she will highlight federal infrastructure funds that will be used to replace lead pipes carrying drinking water.

The VP's visit comes as work to replace lead pipes on older infrastructure across Pittsburgh continues.

Crews are replacing old lines on North St. Clair Street in Highland Park - one of several Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority Projects.

Its CEO said funding from the EPA will allow them to replace more than 850 private and 450 public lines next year.

Lawson Priestley will have a new line connected to his home in Highland Park and said it has been in his family for decades. However, he never knew the water was going through a lead pipe.

"It can be a serious health issue. obviously, you want the community to thrive, and having this is not a good thing to have," he said. "I'm glad they caught it and are fixing it now."

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority replaced 620 public lead lines and since 2016, it has replaced 9,150 public and 6,000 private lines.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said the vice president's visit and the renewed effort by the White House is welcoming news.

"It's really been the group working together. our legislative body, our congressional delegation, along with the white house to come and make these investments that we need to have done in our region," he said.

Meanwhile, Pennsylvania American Water, which covers many South Hills communities, said its lines do not have lead issues but they are working with homeowners to address private lead lines, as many older homes do have that issue.

There are no details yet on where the VP will visit today.