COLUMBUS, Ohio - Local Republican Ohio State Representative Monica Robb-Blasdel was joined by Democratic State Representative Dontavius Jarrells to introduce legislation to require all lead pipes in Ohio to be replaced.

If passed the "Lead Line Replacement Act," would require every public water system in Ohio to replace all lead service lines within the next 15 years. Local water providers would work with the state to achieve this goal. 

"No more patchwork repairs, no more half fixes, no more kicking the can down the road. We're going to get this right for families and children," Jarrells said.

Robb-Blasdel added that the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA) would be responsible for the establishment of this effort.

"An undertaking of this size will require full cooperation and human capital that our government officials and utility partners have to offer, but we are sure this effort is a responsible and worthwhile one. Lead replacement effort is a smart investment for the state which will provide an estimate return of $32 to $45 for every $1 invested," Robb-Blasdel said.

The two representatives were joined by OEC Action Fund Drinking Water Manager Annalisa Rocca the at a Wednesday morning press conference.

Rocca said that no amount of lead is safe in humans' blood and exposure to lead can have serious, lifelong health risks for children and adults alike, even at low levels.

"For children, especially kids under the age of six, elevated levels of lead in their blood can cause impaired brain development and lower intelligence. Adults are more likely to experience increased risk of cardiovascular disease, higher blood pressure and kidney and nervous system problems when exposed to lead," Rocca said.

Rocca added that this bill would ban partial lead line replacements, which could temporarily elevate the levels of lead in the water, as well as create jobs in the utility construction industry and provide economic boosts to local communities.

"This legislation will work in tandem with the U.S. EPA's lead and copper rule improvements, which requires cities to replace their lead service lines within 10 years, but there are some extensions granted to very large systems like Cleveland," Rocca said.

In addition, Rocca said this legislation would create programs that center water affordability to low to moderate income households in Ohio and require public water systems to create programs to provide financial assistance to low income customers to replace their lead lines.