Trenton – With lead containment posing a major health crisis in many communities, legislation sponsored by Senator Ronald Rice to require lead service line replacement as a condition for developers to receive financial incentives cleared the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee today.

“Parts of New Jersey have some of the oldest water infrastructure in the country. This is not just a problem in our urban communities, but also in rural and suburban areas as well. Corroding lead pipes are poisoning our children and compromising public health,” said Senator Rice (D-Essex). “By requiring developers receiving government incentives for residential projects to replace any lead pipes on their properties, we can jump start our lead service line replacement efforts and ensure more new and renovated homes are lead-free.”

Under the bill, S-321, whenever a municipality provides financial incentives to developers to build or redevelop residential properties, they would be required to replace any water service lines determined to contain lead.

The bill was released from committee by a vote of 4-0.