The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that all public drinking water systems in the U.S. are required to replace lead pipes within 10 years.
The announcement comes as public drinking water systems in Maine prepare to meet another deadline, and report an inventory of lead service lines to the state Center for Disease Control by October 16.
A CDC spokesperson said more than half of those inventories have been submitted, and so far no lead service lines have been reported.
They said that's likely due to a state ban on these lines nearly a century ago.
Maine is slated to receive $25 million in federal funding to replace lead pipes, but the CDC says some of that funding may not be needed, and so will likely be redistributed to other states.
