A bill that will help smaller utilities address lead in drinking water passed unanimously in the state House on Monday.

Long-term exposure to lead can cause a host of problems, especially in children — including trouble learning, behavioral issues, and poor kidney function. But many homeowners don’t have the money to replace the last section of lead pipe leading to their homes.

In 2017, the state passed a law to let larger, investor-owned utilities replace those pipes and recover the costs. This bill would let smaller, municipally-owned utilities do the same.

It would also allow Indiana utilities to more quickly recover the cost of addressing emerging water pollutants — like PFAS, the toxic chemicals found in firefighting foams that have contaminated groundwater at military bases around the country.

The bill now awaits Gov. Eric Holcomb’s signature.​

READ MORE: Bill Would Help Smaller Utilities Address Lead In Drinking Water 

Contact Rebecca at rthiele@iu.edu or follow her on Twitter at @beckythiele.

Indiana Environmental reporting is supported by the Environmental Resilience Institute, an Indiana University Grand Challenge project developing Indiana-specific projections and informed responses to problems of environmental change.