Lead Pipes in Raleigh, NC
September 2026
Me
Data Reporter
Overview
Reporting in progress.
Inspired from Grist's story in Chicago, we are looking into the same health and quality of Raleigh's water system.
- How many lead pipes are in Raleigh?
- Are they all identified? And, is there a replacement plan that meets EPA requirements?
- Who are these pipes impacting? Where are they and what neighborhoods? Who lives there?
Techs
python
jupyter notebook
Methodology
Through Freedom of Information Act requests to Chicago’s Department of Water Management and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Grist obtained the city’s most recent service line inventory, submitted to the state in April; service line replacement data; and the city’s 2025 replacement plan.
To connect these documents to residents’ experiences living with lead pipes and trying to get them replaced, Grist conducted dozens of in-person and remote interviews with policy and legal experts, public officials, scientists, advocates, and Chicagoans living with dangerous lead service lines.