The presence of lead and/or copper in a public water supply can pose a serious health risk to customers drinking that water. To control these threats, EPA promulgated the Lead and Copper Rule, which took effect on December 7, 1992. This rule requires treatment when lead and/or copper exceeds specified levels in public drinking water.

Does the Lead and Copper Rule Apply to Your Community?

Yes. All communities must monitor for the presence of lead and copper in their water supply system.

Actions Your Community Should Be Taking

Water systems must complete a "materials evaluation" of their distribution system and/or review other information to target homes that are at high risk of lead/copper (Pb/Cu) contamination. Since lead and copper contamination generally occurs after water has left the public water system, testing water that has come from a household faucet is the best way to determine if a customer' s water is contaminated.

Lead and copper enter drinking water mainly from the corrosion of household plumbing that contains these metals. This type of contamination can be prevented by controlling the corrosiveness of the water supply. Therefore, monitoring for other factors (called "water quality parameters") that may affect water corrosivity is required to identify the most effective treatment method and to determine compliance with the lead/copper standards. Examples of water quality parameters that may affect the corrosivity of water include pH, alkalinity, calcium, conductivity, orthorphosphate, silicate, and water temperature.

Initially, small and medium systems must collect drinking water from home taps every six months and analyze them for lead and copper. If the system meets the standards for lead and copper for two consecutive monitoring periods, it may reduce the number of samples, and reduce the sampling frequency to once per year. If the system continues to meet these levels for three years, the sampling frequency will be further reduced. However, if the system exceeds the standards, it must follow the requirements for corrosion control treatment. These requirements include increased sampling and a recommendation by the water system to begin corrosion control treatment within 18 to 24 months after the system exceeds the lead/copper levels.

Samples for water quality parameters must be taken from taps every six months and from each entry point into the distribution system. If the water system continues to meet the levels for lead and copper, sampling for water quality parameters may be reduced along the same schedule as that for lead and copper. If, however, the drinking water system does not meet the lead/copper standards, you must continue sampling for the water quality parameters (including two samples from each tap and two samples from each entry point into the distribution system every six months) and recommend corrosion control treatment.

When the concentrations in a sample reach an action level of 0.015 milligrams per liter for lead and 1.3 milligrams per liter for copper in more than ten percent of the total number of required samples, the water system is required to carry out the water treatment requirements of the rule. Four types of action are required to remedy high lead/copper levels. Once a system finds that more than 10 percent of all tap monitoring results exceed one of the action levels, the system must begin to carry out the first three actions.

1. Corrosion control treatment. All systems must monitor for water quality parameters as described above and recommend a corrosion control treatment to the state. Depending on its size, systems may be required to conduct corrosion control studies to support the corrosion control strategy. Upon the approval of the state, treatment is to be installed and demonstrated to be effective according to criteria set by the state. Treatment options are pH and alkalinity adjustment, calcium adjustment, and silica or phosphate?based corrosion inhibition.
2. Source water treatment. Systems must first monitor their source water for the presence of lead/copper, and, if necessary, recommend a treatment to the state. Treatment options include ion exchange, lime softening, reverse osmosis and coagulation/filtration. Once the state approves a treatment option, systems will have two years for installation and one more year to conduct follow?up monitoring. If treatment is not required, or if the treated water does not exceed the maximum lead/copper levels permitted by the state, source water monitoring will be synchronized with the system's other monitoring schedules.
3. Public education. In certain cases, public education materials must be developed and distributed according to EPA guidelines. These materials are designed to inform customers about the health effects of lead and explain what they can do at home to reduce their exposure. The system must begin delivering the materials within 60 days of the lead action level exceedance. The materials include public service announcements to be submitted every six months to television and radio stations, along with other pamphlets to be delivered directly to customers, newspapers, hospitals, for as long as the system exceeds the lead action level. If the system continues to exceed the lead action level after installing optimal corrosion control and/or source water treatment, a fourth action, lead service line replacement, must be taken.
4. Lead service line replacement. This requires the replacement of lead service lines that contribute more than 0.015 milligrams of lead per liter to tap water. A system must replace seven percent of its lead lines each year and must replace all lines within 15 years, but the state is required to impose a shorter replacement schedule, if that is feasible.

NOTE: On April 12, 1996, EPA proposed minor revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule that would streamline, reduce the monitoring and reporting burden of, and improve the implementation of these regulations. The proposed revisions would not, however, affect the basic requirements of the Lead and Copper Rule, such as optimizing corrosion control, treating source water, educating the public, and replacing lead service lines.

Additional Information

The Lead and Copper requirements are published in Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 141.80 through 141.91.

For further information on the federal requirements, contact the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline. Telephone: 1/800/426-4791.

National Drinking Water Clearinghouse Telephone: 1/800/624-8301

American Water Works Association Hotline Telephone: 1/800/366-0107.

(See Resource Section for drinking water contacts)