TELL EPA TO FINALIZE LEAD AND COPPER RULE IMPROVEMENTS TO PREVENT LEAD IN DRINKING WATER
EPA CAN MAKE SURE LEAD SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT
PROGRAMS ARE MORE EQUITABLE
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is asking for comments on proposed revisions to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) regulations intended to reduce lead in drinking water. The Lead and Copper Rule Improvements proposal includes a requirement for full replacement of all lead service lines in regulated drinking water systems. We have urged EPA to take this step during several rounds of regulatory revision, and it is a key public health commitment in the Biden-Harris Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan.
Lead service lines are pipes that connect the large water main to a house or building. Where they are present, lead service lines are the largest source of lead in drinking water. If EPA’s proposal is finalized, the vast majority of lead service lines will be replaced within 10 years. The effort will be supported by $15 billion in targeted funding made possible by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Many lead services lines are underneath both public and private property. The common practice of requiring water system customers to contribute to the cost of full replacement disproportionately impacts low-income households and people of color. EPA should improve its proposal by requiring water systems to cover the full cost of replacement, regardless of whether the pipe is under public or private property. Many water systems have taken this approach, and it is required in Michigan. EPA and States can continue to help communities identify strategies to avoid the inequitable and inefficient practice of asking customers to pay for portions of the required lead service line replacement.
EPA’s proposal includes revisions to other aspects of the complex SDWA Lead and Copper Rule, including reducing the Lead Action Level to 10 parts per billion (ppb) and modernizing sampling requirements to better reflect existing knowledge about how lead moves through lead service lines into the building or home.
Urge EPA to finalize and strengthen the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements.
National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for Lead and Copper: Improvements
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