Environmental Protection Agency Requires Full Lead Service Line Replacement
Washington DC – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today finalized revisions to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) regulation meant to reduce lead in drinking water. The Lead and Copper Rule Improvements includes a requirement for full replacement of all lead service lines in regulated drinking water systems. This provision has been a core objective of Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund’s work on this issue.
“We have consistently urged EPA to take decisive action to put lead service lines behind us - both to eliminate this largest source of lead in drinking water where lead service lines are present and to avoid a disproportionate impact on our most vulnerable communities,” said Lynn Thorp, Clean Water’s National Campaigns Director. “Today’s action on lead in drinking water is a major step in fulfilling the commitments to reduce lead hazards and protect public health in the Biden-Harris Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan.”
The vast majority of lead service lines, which bring water from the large water main into the home or building, will be replaced within ten years of the new regulation’s implementation. The effort is supported by targeted funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, including $2.6 billion in newly available funding announced today. EPA’s finalized rule 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.
Carrying out these new requirements, including replacing all lead service lines, is an enormous task. Public health and local economies will benefit from ongoing federal investment in modernizing drinking water systems after the historic funding in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is distributed. Continued federal funding will ensure that critical drinking water system upgrades happen, while minimizing financial burdens on local communities. State agencies implementing the Safe Drinking Water Act also must have the resources they need to conduct proper oversight of all aspects of the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements.
EPA notes that lead can severely harm mental and physical development in children and can cause increased blood pressure, heart disease, decreased kidney function, and cancer in adults. "Because of lead’s health impacts on children and adults, even at low levels, it is critical to reduce lead exposure wherever we can. We welcome the Biden-Harris administration and EPA’s bold action. We can get lead out of drinking water and redouble efforts to eliminate lead exposure from paint, food, and other sources,” Thorp said.
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Factsheet: Lead and Drinking Water (English & Spanish)
