President Biden visits Philly to announce $500M for water upgrades, lead service removal

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- President Joe Biden was in Philadelphia on Friday, making an announcement at the Belmont Water Treatment Plant and later addressing the Democratic National Committee winter meeting in Center City.

He announced that the city will receive $500 million in funding for water upgrades and lead service removal, part of an effort to replace all lead pipe services in the country over the next decade.

"The vice president and I made a commitment to replace every single service line in every part of the country in the next decade," Biden said.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris detailed the plan for clean drinking water nationwide.

"We have made access to clean water a priority of our administration's national agenda," Harris said.

One-hundred-sixty million dollars will go to upgrade Philadelphia water facilities and replace more than 13 miles of water mains, through a bipartisan infrastructure law.

An additional $340 million loan from the EPA will go to upgrade the city's water system.

"The issue has to do with basic dignity," Biden said. "No amount of lead in water is safe. None."

Funding is coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, American Rescue Plan and annual appropriations, according to a White House official.

Biden focused on another bright spot in this rollout: not only will it provide healthy drinking water, but the effort will increase union jobs.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were joined by EPA Administrator Michael Regan, Governor Josh Shapiro, Senator John Fetterman, Senator Bob Casey, Congressman Dwight Evans, and Mayor Jim Kenney.

President Biden has not announced a reelection campaign but is expected to in the coming weeks. He will likely focus his remarks to the DNC around job creation and touting his administration's accomplishments.

Biden is facing increasing pressure in Washington, where a special counsel is investigating after classified documents were discovered at his home and a former office.

The State of the Union address is coming next week and Biden has also renewed calls for political unity.