Water main and lead service line replacements are continuing around Youngstown. 

City leaders agree they are necessary replacements to ensure safe drinking water and efficient pipes for people living and working in town. However, some lawmakers are attempting to reverse lead pipe replacement requirements, implemented by the Biden Administration.

Lead is heavy metal used in pipes, paints, ammunition, and many other products. NBC states lead is a neurotoxin that can cause a range of disorders from behavioral problems to brain damage. Lead lowers IQ scores in children, stunts their development, and increases blood pressure in adults.

The EPA estimates the stricter standard will prevent up to 900,000 infants from having low birthweight and avoid up to 1,500 premature deaths a year from heart disease, according to NBC.

"It's not just one area of town that needs our attention," explained Councilwoman Anita Davis. "It's all of Youngstown."

The Buckeye Plat neighborhood, on the south east side of Youngstown, will soon see water main and lead service lines replaced in the area.

"We looked at various areas in our distribution system that we wanted to tackle and we looked at more dense areas," Water Commissioner Harry Johnson III exclusively told 21 News.

It's a nearly $15 million project that could begin in the coming months, once the city finds a bidder to do the work.

"We're looking to add 10k feet of new water main in that Buckeye Circle area," Johnson added. "The mains are in the back of the houses and this project would move the mains from the back of the houses to the front. So logistically, it would be easier for the water department to access the curb boxes and the valves in the front of the homes. That way, if there are any issues, our crews can address them from the street instead of having to go into homeowner's backyards."

This is yet another project working to ensure the water in households and businesses is safe.

"The absolute worst thing that could happen is that we could be another Detroit kind of city," explained Davis. "Where we have no drinkable water because it has been poisoned."

The elephant in the room is the possibility of Republicans attempting to repeal the Biden administration's requirement of all lead pipes being replaced over the next decade. The ruling comes with $15 billion in federal funding that could be revoked.

'"It's asinine to say, 'let's not address it," Davis added. "I could not, I don't understand it. Why say, 'Don't do it? I'm going to reverse that?' I don't understand it. We are not supposed to be drinking lead."

While the Buckeye Plat project shouldn't be affected, it doesn't come without concern for the progress of cleaner water in Youngstown.