Local water utility companies may be busy trying to meet an important October 16, 2024, deadline to identify lead service lines that deliver drinking water to their consumers. It’s all part of a requirement by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in response to the estimated 9.2 million lead service lines actively serving water to properties in the United States. The EPA has required Public Water Supply systems to locate and inventory lead service lines for drinking water by October 16, 2024. This is one step towards replacing the lead service lines and protecting public health.
Here’s what to know about lead service lines, lead exposure through drinking water and how it can affect you.
Lead service lines represent one of the most significant forms of lead exposure in drinking water. It has been reported that lead is not found in drinking water sources, but rather introduced into Public Water Supply (PWS) systems through corrosion of pipes and fixtures. In other words, as water flows through old pipes that contain lead and copper, these metals can leach into the water due to the pipes' corrosion. This results in lead and copper contamination in the drinking water.
The EPA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that there is “no known safe level of lead in a child’s blood”. Young children, infants and pregnant people are most susceptible to the serious health effects caused by lead in drinking water. In children and infants, lead exposure through drinking water can cause learning disabilities or behavior problems. In pregnant people, lead exposure can cause reduced growth of the fetus or premature birth. Lead exposure to adults can lead to issues such as heart disease, high blood pressure or kidney problems.
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1991, the EPA created the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) to address lead exposure through drinking water. To reduce the concentrations of lead and copper in drinking water, the goals of the LCR included PWS systems to monitor drinking water at consumer taps, set lead and copper action levels so that PWS systems knew when they needed to take action to protect their consumer’s health and for PWS systems to replace lead service lines under their control. As a result of the LCR and other Federal laws and regulations, the median concentration of lead in the blood of young children from 1976-1980 to 2015-2016 was reduced by 95%!
In 2021, the EPA introduced the Lead and Copper Rule Revision (LCRR) which included requiring PWS systems to complete an inventory of the lead service lines by October 16, 2024, and to make the lead service line inventory public. The key goals of the LCRR also included the clarification of sampling requirements and sample locations, notification to individual consumers if they have potential lead service lines and public notifications if drinking water lead action level were exceeded.
In 2023, the EPA proposed a Lead and Copper Rule Improvement (LCRI) to help protect children and adults from the health effects of lead exposure through drinking water and to reduce the disproportionate lead exposure impact to those living in disadvantage communities. Key items of the proposed LCRI include 100% lead pipe replacement within 10 years, lowering the lead action level, locating the lead service lines and regular updating of the PWS lead pipe inventory. Additionally, the proposed LCRI emphasizes increased transparency and keeping the public informed to enhance protections to reduce lead exposure for consumers.
If your local water utility company seems extra busy or even visits your house, it may be to complete the initial inventory of lead service lines by October 16, 2024. The requirements set by EPA’s Lead and Copper Rules are meant to better protect children and communities from the risks of lead exposure through drinking water and work towards getting the lead out of our drinking water.
This post was authored by Tracy Cooper, Environmental Project Manager at Environmental Advisors and Engineers, Inc. For further inquiry, please contact us at info@eaei.com.
Sources:
U.S. EPA “Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water” (https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water#regs)
U.S. EPA “Fact Sheet: EPA’s Proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements” (https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-11/lcri-fact-sheet-for-the-public_final.pdf)
U.S. EPA “Lead Service Lines” (https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/lead-service-lines)
U.S. EPA “Proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements” (https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/proposed-lead-and-copper-rule-improvements)
Federal Register “National Primary Drinking Water Regulations: Lead and Copper Rule Revisions” (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/15/2020-28691/national-primary-drinking-water-regulations-lead-and-copper-rule-revisions)
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