Hochul signs Lead Pipe Right to Know Act

Legislation S.5512/A.6115 requires public water systems to take service line inventories and make information available to the public

Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation S.5112/A.6115, also known as the Lead Pipe Right to Know Act, to “protect New Yorkers from the extraordinary public health risk posed by lead pipes,” her team said. “The legislation requires making information easily accessible to the public about the number and location of lead pipes so that state and federal resources can be secured and efficiently targeted to support local efforts to remove all lead pipes impacting New York’s drinking water.”

Hochul said, “Lead poisoning poses a clear and present danger to the health and well-being of all New Yorkers. This nation-leading legislation will protect New Yorkers from lead pipes, which are proven to cause extraordinary harm. I am committed to doing everything in my power to protect the health and well-being of New Yorkers.”

Legislation S.5112/A.6115 requires water utilities across the state to publicly share how many lead service lines are present in their distribution system and where those lines are located so that individuals and policymakers can understand the full scale and extent of the lead service line issue.

Assembly member Amy Paulin said, “Lead poisoning is an urgent public health issue, and it disproportionately affects children in low-income and marginalized families. The Lead Pipes Right to Know Act will help make childhood lead exposure a thing of the past.”