lead pipes

Many Midwest residents distrust their tap water. Some purchase water and ice from standalone kiosks. University of Iowa researchers found at least trace levels of lead in most of these kiosks.

KC Water will use nearly $2 million in new state funding to search for lead pipes in historically disadvantaged neighborhoods, starting this spring in Lykins and Columbus Park.

Next year, Kansas City’s only drinking water treatment plant will celebrate its 100th birthday. It’s a milestone worth applauding, for sure, but it’s also a reminder that the city has only one place where it makes clean water.

For nearly a century, the city’s drinking water purification process has taken place with few major hiccups at a lone Briarcliff facility. But KC Water leaders say maintenance costs are climbing and aging concrete is a concern. They’re urging support for a new treatment plant in Kansas City.

The $6.4 million grant will go toward renovating about 170 Kansas City homes in low-income, minority neighborhoods next year.

The EPA is trying to crack down on lead pipes that bring water into homes. But a looming deadline — and the election — will determine if it follows a Biden plan to replace pipes or a Trump plan. In Olathe, the city is using a patchwork of funding to replace lines at no cost to property owners.

The statewide effort to clean up drinking water was prompted by a 2022 Missouri law, and more than $27 million has been set aside to fix the problems.

The EPA announced a proposed update to the lead and copper rule strengthening President Joe Biden’s earlier goal of eradicating lead pipes.

The state will get $106.4 million for water infrastructure upgrades through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.