Fix the Lead Crisis in Syracuse

There is an ongoing lead crisis in Syracuse. The city has known about it since at least the summer of 2024, when officials announced water test results with more than double the levels of lead found during the Flint water crisis.

A further analysis commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that the more than 14,000 Syracuse homes receiving drinking water from lead service lines are at high risk of harm from lead-tainted water. Even with all the mounting evidence, Syracuse has done far too little to address this problem.

Syracuse residents deserve clean, safe drinking water. In light of the extraordinary and dangerous levels of lead contamination in Syracuse’s water supply, I urge the EPA to require Syracuse to:

• Declare a lead water emergency to mark the gravity of the situation and free up additional federal funds to speed up the replacement of pipes;
• Create a city-wide public outreach plan to fully inform Syracuse residents about the dangers and early signs of lead poisoning;
• Publicize the city’s plans to replace its lead pipes safely, equitably, and efficiently, including the timing of when service lines will be replaced;
• Provide point-of-use water filters – which can be directly installed on faucets and other water outlets – to all people with lead service lines or other service lines that may contain lead, without restrictions; and
• Prioritize lead service line replacement in Syracuse’s most vulnerable neighborhoods, including areas deemed “hot spots” for lead poisoning.

These are the necessary first steps you must require Syracuse to take to end the ongoing lead water crisis and to protect the health and wellbeing of city residents.