What Happened
With full support from the White House, EPA finalized dramatic improvements to the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). The final rule mandates the replacement of the vast majority of lead service lines (LSLs) by 2037. LSLs are the most significant source of lead in drinking water, contributing to harmful effects on the brains of children, the hearts and kidneys of adults, and risking lives of pregnant people.
President Biden announced the signing of the final rule in Milwaukee, WI. The city has more than 70,000 LSLs—5th most in the nation—and committed to replacing all of their lead pipes in 10 years thanks to funding from the landmark Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
EPA estimates that the rule will return more than $13 in long-term socioeconomic benefits for every dollar invested in LSL replacements.
Why it Matters
Since 1991, the LCR’s framework treats LSL replacement as a last resort that happens only when other efforts, such as corrosion control, failed to prevent exceedances of the lead action level. Despite the consensus that there is no safe exposure to lead, this framework leaves people drinking water through what is essentially a lead straw forever, or at least until the lead pipe fails.
EPA’s announcement overhauls the LCR’s framework so proactive LSL replacement is an integral part of utility efforts to protect customers from lead in drinking water.
Our Take
We are thrilled to see EPA finalize these improvements to the LCR by mandating that utilities replace all LSLs with the vast majority gone by 2037. This rule has been almost a decade in the making, garnering widespread support for a new proactive approach from the agency’s National Drinking Water Advisory Committee, the American Water Works Association, and from the public. However, it took impressive leadership from the EPA Administrator Regan and the Biden-Harris Administration to turn that support into action with a timeline that is ultimately consistent with 2015 NDWAC’s recommendations.