The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed giving municipalities 10 years to replace lead pipes in their water infrastructure. Some think that timeline may be difficult to meet.

Communities across upstate New York have been working to address the issue of lead in water for years. Health experts say excessive lead exposure can put consumers at higher risk for health problems such as cancer, stroke and kidney disease.

But removing and replacing the water lines can be an expensive process, especially for a fiscally stressed city.

“It's going to cost close to $160 million to replace these lead service lines that we have in the city,” Poughkeepsie Mayor-elect Yvonne Flowers explained.

The challenge may be made even greater with a proposed rule that would give the city only 10 years to replace all of its lead pipes. Without major state and federal assistance, Flowers said it’s almost impossible for Poughkeepsie to budget that multi-million dollar tab.

“We really have to strategically look at how we're going to replace these lines within that timeline, and also the funding sources that are going to be available to us that doesn't put that much of a burden on our taxpayers,” Flowers said.

Poughkeepsie is not alone.

Carolyn Berndt, legislative director for sustainability at the National League of Cities, said the change without additional support would dump the costs on taxpayers.

“Borrowing capacity and depending at the local level, there's only so much support that can be had based on your taxpayer base," Berndt said.

As a result, she said the EPA should be more flexible with its proposed timeline.

But even it does get changed, a significant investment must be made by the federal government.

“I think we're looking at a $60 to $90 billion challenge to replace all lead service lines,” she said.

Flowers said Poughkeepsie will continue to look to local lawmakers for help in acquiring funds.

“We're going to need all hands on deck in order for the city of Poughkeepsie to be able to replace our lead lines within that length of time,” Flowers said.