MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Thousands of toxic lead pipes are located across the city of Memphis, with the majority of them in Black neighborhoods. Memphis, Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) now says it has a plan to fix them while working to meet the federal government's October deadline.
It's part of a $15 billion push from the federal government to eliminate all lead pipes on public and private property,
“There’s a significant amount of lead service lines that exist in Memphis, and unfortunately, they are concentrated in areas where there are Black folks, very much so in places like Orange Mound, and South Memphis, where my family’s from," Memphian and founder of Young, Gifted and Green Latricea Adams said.
Adams advocated for new water infrastructure.
“We’ve been talking to city officials for over 14 years," Memphis resident Chet Kibble said. "So they’re well aware of the problem; EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has been here twice, inquiring… so there’s no secret that we have a problem.”
In 2012, MLGW began tracking already installed lead pipes and gradually replacing them — having completed 8,000 of the 24,000 they say they’ve located.
But as the October 2024 federal deadline approaches, it comes with a challenge unique to Memphis.
Adams said that in a city where nearly 50% of residents don’t own but rent, MLGW gaining access is a major hurdle.
"Some of the people that own properties in the city; they don’t live locally, and some of them may live overseas," Adams said. "Getting consent, from a renter’s perspective, is a scary place. We do know, unfortunately, we have slum lords that exist in the city where there is a fear of retaliation should those residents desire for lead service line replacements to happen.”