Louisiana Approves Public Funds for Lead Line Work

Voters passed Amendment 7, letting public money pay to replace lead service lines on private property.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Utilities

Isometric editorial illustration of a lead pipe and a copper pipe joined at a property-line boundary, rendered in muted oxblood, teal, and mustard. — Louisiana voters approved Amendment 7 on Tuesday, letting public funds pay to replace lead service lines on privately owned property. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should local governments use public money to replace lead pipes on private property?

Louisiana voters approved Amendment 7 with 924,321 votes in favor and 492,210 against, according to unofficial returns from all 3,722 precincts. The measure lets local governments spend public money to identify and replace lead service lines on customer-owned property, though the result has not yet been certified.

Why it matters

Under the EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, utilities must replace the entire line where lead is found on both sides of the property line. The amendment gives Louisiana localities, including New Orleans, a legal basis to fund private-side work that would otherwise fall to homeowners.

Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans has secured US$86 million from the State Revolving Fund for lead line work, with a US$66 million loan expected. Replacing every lead line across Orleans Parish is estimated to cost approximately US$1 billion, and the official certified count is still pending.

The players

Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans

The city utility responsible for water and sewer service in New Orleans, now able to use public funds for private-side lead line replacement under the amendment.

Randy Hayman

Official quoted estimating that replacing every lead line across Orleans Parish would cost approximately US$1 billion.

The details

Amendment 7 adds an authorized use to Article VII, Section 14 of the state constitution, allowing public funds to identify, inventory and replace lead service lines on customer-owned property. The measure began as Senate Bill 228 and went to the ballot as Act 607 after clearing both chambers in May.

May: Measure clears both legislative chambers as Act 607.
October 30, 2024: EPA Lead and Copper Rule Improvements take effect.
December 2025: City Council memo reports US$86 million in SRF funding secured.
November 2027: LCRI compliance requirements begin applying to SWBNO.
2037: Deadline to remove all SWBNO lead service lines.

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Roadmap

The federal Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, effective October 30, 2024, require utilities to replace lead lines on both sides of the property line where lead is found. Louisiana's amendment supplies the state-level funding authority that lets utilities meet that requirement without shifting the full cost to homeowners.

Louisiana homeowners with lead service lines may see utilities begin covering private-side replacement once the amendment is certified and implemented. Residents should watch for local utility announcements on how the new funding authority will be applied.

The takeaway

Public funding for lead line work now has a constitutional basis in Louisiana, but the scale of the remaining replacement need far exceeds currently secured money. Residents with older service lines should confirm their status with their utility as local programs take shape.