LSLR History

There is no safe level of exposure to lead. Lead in drinking water mainly comes from lead pipes, faucets and plumbing fixtures installed before 1986. The potential risks of lead in water have led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) and continuously revise it to ensure lead-free, quality drinking water across the country.

State-specific inventory and service line grants

Iowa

Iowa Department of Naturak Resources (DNR) DWSRF
- Offer loans to drinking water systems for design and construction, including replacing LSLs, to protect public Health.
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) LSL replacement fund
- $29 Million was allocated for lead service line replacement in FY 2023.

Wisconsin

Public Service Commission load Service Line Replacement
- Promote Collavoration between utilities, municipalities and customers to replace LSLs.
Wisconsin DNR Safe Drinking Water Loan Program (SDWLP)
- Grants worth $20,000-$50,000 are available to local government units to fund a completelead service line inventory.
Private lead service line replacement program.
- $63 million in principal forgiveness funding is available for Wisconsin municipalities to replace lead service lines on private properties.

Illinois

Public watr supply loan program:
- Funds worth $5million are available to help with inventory efforts by municipalities.
- $108 million is available for the construction of lead service line replacements.
Leads service line inventory grant program:
- Grants worth $20,000-$50,000 are available to local government units to fund a completelead service line inventory.
Water utility dollars and pricipal forgiveness:
- Basic water bills are used to fund inventory development for lead service lines.

Federal funding for lead service line replacement (LSLR)

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) has allocated more than $15 billion in funding to assist states and water utilities with LSLR.
The EPA’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) facilitates a complete LSLR through infrastructure replacement, corrosion control optimization, lead testing, emergency protocols and community education.

A brief history of Lead and Copper rule

1991

The EPA published the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) to control the level of lead and copper in drinking water.
The rule established a maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) of zero for lead in drinking water and a treatment technique to limit lead and copper corrosion in the distribution system.

2000

The EPA published revisions to the LCR to address the legal challenges that hindered the rule’s implementation.
The revisions streamlined the monitoring and reporting requirements for water distribution systems.

2001

Minor revisions to LCR were introduced for public water systems serving 3,301-50,000 residents and more than 50,000 residents, respectively.

2004

The EPA published minor corrections to the LCR, reinstating text that had been dropped during revisions.

2007

The EPA revised the LCR to replace lead service lines and improve the monitoring and treatment of drinking water.
The short-term revisions included enhanced public education and awareness requirements regarding lead in drinking water.

2021

Illinois passed The Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act (LSLRNA), which requires owners and operators of community water supplies to deliver a complete inventory of the materials in water service lines to the Illinois EPA. The states of Iowa and Wisconsin are in the process of passing the LSLRNA.
The material inventory database must include the material composition of the water service line and a plan to replace any lead water service line.

2022

In October 2022, the EPA announced $30 million in grants for projects to reduce lead in drinking water in disadvantaged communities and schools.

2023

The EPA proposes a requirement to remove lead pipes from water systems within 10 years, regardless of the lead levels in tap or other drinking water samples.

2024 and beyond

The proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) are expected to be finalized before Oct. 16. 2024. Key provisions of LCRI are:
- Replace 100% of lead pipes within 10 years.
- Locate legacy lead pipes.
- Improve tap sampling.
- Lower the lead action level from 15 µg/L to 10 µg/L.
- Strengthen the protections that reduce lead exposure.

LSLR accelerators

To achieve 100% LSL removal and replacement, the EPA introduced LSLR accelerators in January 2023.
The EPA is partnering with 40 disadvantaged communities across Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Wisconsin.

A partnership approach

The LSLR accelerators will collectively expedite lead service line projects through the development of:
Community engagement plans.
Lead service line inventories.
Lead service line replacement plans.
SRF applications.