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It’s an out-of-sight, out-of-mind kind of threat to most people. But what you can’t see can hurt you.

More than 100,000 pipes are leaching lead into our drinking water, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Passage of a bill this legislative session to replace lead pipes across the state deserves applause — and quick implementation.

Under the new law, $240 million will be provided over the next decade to step up surveillance and establish a grant program for replacing water service lines containing lead in homes statewide. The bill’s funding also would help the state access additional federal dollars through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The bill had bipartisan support, as it should. All of our residents deserve access to safe drinking water. Health experts say lead can damage the brain, kidneys, nervous system, and slow the development in children.

The program will help reach Minnesotans most affected by the dangerous effects of lead — children, pregnant women and those living in marginalized communities. Even small amounts of lead are not safe.

As the catastrophe in Flint, Michigan, demonstrated, lead in drinking water is a serious health threat, and investment now will pay off later. Cities need help tackling such far-reaching, serious problems, and the new legislation is designed to aid them in making sure lead isn’t contaminating water.

Minnesota is investing in the future of its residents, especially the youngest, to make certain they have a fair chance of a healthier life.

— Mankato Free Press, May 22