Federal support for lead remediation efforts in U.S. cities has declined due to changes in regulations and funding, posing challenges for municipalities with limited budgets. In New Orleans, a recent investigation by Verite News found elevated lead levels in about half of the city's playgrounds and detectable amounts of the toxic metal in most homes that participated in voluntary water testing.
No level of lead exposure is considered safe, according to federal officials. However, comprehensive cleanup projects are often financially out of reach for many local governments. New Orleans is currently dealing with a $220 million budget deficit that has resulted in employee furloughs and layoffs.
Congress had allocated $15 billion over five years for replacing lead pipes through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which is set to expire at the end of this year. In 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated soil contamination standards for the first time in three decades and mandated that all water systems replace lead service lines by late 2037.
A spending package approved by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in January redirected $125 million from lead remediation funds to wildfire prevention efforts. Since October, the EPA has also eased some protections against soil contamination by raising hazard thresholds for urban areas.
Tom Neltner, national director of Unleaded Kids, said these actions marked a departure from previous policy: " We've seen the Trump administration say positive things about its commitment to lead but then take actions that undermine that."
Despite these setbacks, some communities have made progress on reducing lead exposure. EPA press secretary Brigit Hirsch defended recent changes: "The Trump EPA's record on protecting Americans — especially American children — from lead is unmatched," Hirsch said via email. "In just the last year, the Trump EPA backed up its commitment to reducing lead exposure in children with BILLIONS of dollars and historic action." She referenced a November announcement making $3 billion available for water pipe replacement under legislation passed during the Biden administration.
Tulane University professor Felicia Rabito commented on policy needs: " We don't need to do research on lead anymore," she said. "What we need are policies to get the lead out of the environment."
Benton Harbor, Michigan offers an example of successful intervention after years of noncompliance with federal drinking water standards left residents exposed to dangerous levels of lead. In response to petitions from residents and technical assistance from engineer Elin Betanzo, federal officials ordered compliance measures and state authorities committed funding for pipe replacement and other relief efforts totaling $35 million.
"Nobody should be drinking lead in their water for this long," Betanzo said.
The city replaced more than 4,500 pipes within 18 months using a streamlined approach—assuming most pipes were made of lead and replacing them street by street—which increased efficiency and transparency through public progress databases. The city also required all residents' participation without charging them directly.
"The health benefits of lead service line replacement are greatest the sooner you get it done," Betanzo noted.
Nationwide completion rates for full pipe replacements remain low due to high costs and logistical challenges; New Orleans estimates it could require up to $1 billion over ten years just for similar work locally.
Soil contamination is another concern highlighted by a 2024 GeoHealth study estimating nearly one-fourth of U.S. homes have unsafe soil-lead levels. Gabriel Filippelli at Indiana University-Indianapolis advised cities like Indianapolis on low-cost interventions such as removing contaminated benches or capping polluted soil with mulch or concrete instead of costly excavation.
"It was a relatively low-cost intervention," Filippelli said regarding Indianapolis’s response after his team found isolated hot spots at parks near an old smelter site. He suggested creative solutions can significantly reduce risk even if they do not fully eliminate contaminants: "You can eliminate the hazard at a fraction of the cost."
Filippelli also pointed to programs like New York City's Clean Soil Bank as models where uncontaminated soil from construction projects is redistributed locally at no cost.
Rhode Island addressed another major source—lead paint—by strengthening enforcement laws requiring landlords maintain “lead safe” certification on older homes every two years or face fines; compliance rates rose from below 15% before new laws passed in 2023 to around 40% by late 2025 according to DeeAnn Guo from Childhood Lead Action Project.
Guo described how federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grants help subsidize mitigation work prioritized for vulnerable households: “If a homeowner or landlord owns an old house, they can apply... If lead is found, [the state] will then send a certified contractor... at little or no cost.” She added that combining strong enforcement with education improves program success rates.
However, HUD recently asked Congress to cut new funding for its hazards program until 2027—a move advocates fear could permanently reduce resources available if not restored quickly enough.
"It shows the White House's hypocrisy, where they talk about lead as being important and then propose eliminating the funds that are essential to cleaning up affordable housing," Neltner said. "This administration talks about the importance of children and then seems to be careless about children's brains."
This article was produced with Verite News as part of collaborative reporting supported by grants from several journalism organizations.
