Lead-free drinking water is the kind of basic public health protection that should unite us, not divide us. Clean drinking water is not a Democratic priority or a Republican priority. It’s a West Virginia priority — and an American one. And thanks to historic federal bipartisan funding to replace lead service lines, communities across West Virginia are finally seeing real progress on that front.
Now, Congress must ensure that this progress doesn’t stall.
Keeping promises made
Next year, key drinking water and lead service line replacement provisions of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are set to expire. If Congress does not reauthorize them, cities that have scaled up, or even established lead service line replacement programs, could lose critical momentum. For communities that have waited far too long for safe water, that is not an option.
In 2021, the Bureau for Public Health’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program found that the lead service lines in Clarksburg were hurting children, causing significant exposure to lead and elevated blood lead levels. The harm done triggered a whole-of-government approach from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources that has made the state a prime example of what happens when the federal government partners with states to invest in protections for local residents.
Last fall, the state announced a $19 million investment to help the Clarksburg Water Board replace hazardous lead service lines and modernize aging infrastructure. From Shady Spring to Monongalia County, the state is using historic investments to identify and remove lead pipes, reduce leaks, and bring the water system into the twenty-first century. It’s the kind of tangible progress people can see and feel—and it’s only happening because of a strong partnership between West Virginia leaders and the federal government.
But we’re at a critical moment: We cannot allow that partnership to lapse. The strength of our water infrastructure is critical to both the health and livelihoods of West Virginians across the state.
Improving water infrastructure means more jobs
Thanks to the combined national and state funding, it is not just the quality of our water that is improving but also the quality of our jobs. Jobs that provide family-supporting wages, strong pensions and comprehensive health care coverage. Whether you are an apprentice right out of high school who is new to construction or a journeyman with years of experience, pipe laying is an incredibly versatile skill in the construction industry that leads to impactful long-term careers.
There is no question that West Virginians are ready to do this work: The West Virginia and Appalachian Laborers’ District Council proudly represents 4,000 members in the state. In addition to our existing workforce, there is an approximately 400-person workforce waiting list who are committed to joining the WVALDC to work on lead service line replacement if there is sufficient funding dedicated to finance LSLR projects.
Currently, WVALDC has hundreds of apprentices being trained with a portion of their apprenticeship training program specifically focusing on pipeline safety and techniques. Interest in apprenticeship is growing, and continued lead service line replacement funding provides apprentices with the opportunity to apply their skills and make a good living in the process. West Virginia has the workforce and has experienced contractors who are prepared for this work with years of expertise in the industry.
Modernizing our local water lines ensures the delivery of safe drinking water to our communities while creating significant employment opportunities. While this initiative is critical, it is a vast undertaking. It will take years of coordinated planning, construction and oversight. The bipartisan funding from 2021 made the largest investment in clean water in our country’s history, but the job is not finished. In many communities, especially those with older infrastructure or tight budgets, the work of fully removing lead pipes is only now getting underway. Letting funding run out now would be detrimental to the health of these communities.
Congress must do its part
West Virginians understand better than most that when a water crisis hits, the health, trust and economic stability of a community are all on the line. When the drinking water in Elk River was contaminated a decade ago, we saw firsthand the consequences of waiting until disaster strikes. We cannot afford to wait now.
That’s why reauthorizing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s clean water programs and ensuring stable, predictable funding for lead pipe replacement is the commonsense path forward. Communities need certainty. Utilities need long-term planning. And families deserve to know that when they turn on the tap, the water coming out is safe.
This is where the leadership of Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., is especially crucial. As the ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and as someone who has long championed clean water and rural infrastructure, Capito is uniquely positioned to bring both parties together on a reauthorization package that protects public health and keeps these critical projects moving.
She has been a tireless advocate for West Virginia’s water systems, helping secure the investments that communities like Clarksburg are using right now to modernize their aging water systems. That leadership is deeply appreciated. And it is needed again.
Reauthorizing these programs isn’t about Washington politics. It’s about ensuring that West Virginia families, and families in every state, aren’t left drinking unsafe water because Congress allowed the clock to run out. It’s about upholding something we should all agree on: every person in this country deserves clean, safe, lead-free water.
West Virginia is proving what progress looks like. Now it’s time for Congress to make sure that progress continues.
