EPA Lead and Copper Rule FAQ

In 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revised the Lead & Copper Rule (LCR), a series of regulations aimed at protecting public health by reducing the potential for exposure to lead through drinking water.  The revisions added new protective measures specifically focused on mitigating exposure to lead from the nation’s public water systems and plumbing in private homes and businesses.

While the revised LCR reporting will not take full effect until October 2024, our work to comply with the revised Rule is already taking shape.  Steps to meet the new regulations began in earnest over the past year and will continue over the next 18 months.

The RWA must conduct an inventory of all service lines on both the utility’s side of the curb stop and the property owner’s side of the curb stop. The RWA must submit the results to the Connecticut Department of Health by October 16, 2024. The inventory must classify all service lines in one of the following categories:

Lead – where the service line is made of lead

Non-Lead – where evidence indicates the service line is not made of lead

Galvanized Requiring Replacement – where a galvanized service line is downstream of a current or former lead service line; or

Lead Status Unknown – where there is no documentation or evidence to classify the material type

For nearly 175 years, the RWA has consistently met all of the evolving regulatory standards on water quality. It is important to note our drinking water is tested when it leaves our water treatment plants and is lead free.

However, exposure can occur from lead service lines and interior plumbing.

In early 2021, the EPA revised the LCR, a series of regulations and drinking water standards aimed at protecting public health by reducing its potential exposure to lead through drinking water. 

One of its major changes was the addition of a requirement that all water utilities across the country must create inventories of their water service lines and connections to find any lead service line or connection that may exist in a water system.  These inventories must also include the customers’ side of the water meter.

A service line is an underground pipe that carries water from the RWA’s water main to the meter to a home or business. Typically, this pipe is small, with a diameter of 2 inches or less. A service line and connection may consist of multiple plumbing material types including copper, galvanized iron, lead or plastic.  

First, we want to assure you that distribution of water to your home will be unaffected.  The RWA is reviewing our records, conducting water testing, using predictive modeling, and, in some cases, digging to physically investigate water lines, all to find any lead infrastructure within the system we maintain.

When we need to, the RWA will use what is known as a vacuum-excavation truck to dig two holes near your curb valve, so that we may physically see the service lines on each side of the water curb valve.  The truck uses a high-pressure water jet and large vacuum tank to excavate soil without damaging buried utilities; it’s much safer than using shovels. 

Each hole will be approximately 10-inches in diameter. The area immediately surrounding your Curb valve will be temporarily disturbed and we will ensure that each hole is protected and/or barricaded safely until the area has been restored as near as possible to its original condition, at no cost to you.

Because of new requirements under the LCR, we also need your help to look for lead service lines and connections within your property.

The revised Lead and Copper Rule includes – for the first time ever – a requirement to conduct an inventory of lead lines and connections in customer homes where the plumbing is not the RWA’s responsibility.

RWA is responsible for the water line and connections between our water main and what is called the “curb stop,” our connection on the water line where the water can be turned off to a customer’s property.  As a result, we are not able to investigate for lead on your property without your permission.

This is why we need your help to look for lead within your home.  In the future you will be asked to let us know if you have a lead service line. We are creating a tool you can use to help identify the location of your service line and the materials used to make it.  Then, you will fill out a survey with a photo of your service line with the connections to tell us what you found.

If you find lead on your property, RWA staff will contact you about our next steps to keep you protected from lead.  You can also contact us and ask us to help you look for lead at by calling (833) RWA-LEAD (833-792-5323).

Lead is not found in the drinking water leaving our treatment facilities, but it can rarely leach into the water from lead lines and connections or from household plumbing materials with lead often found in homes built before 1986.  There is a possibility that lead service lines or connections remain in some portions of the water system.

While the RWA’s inventory work may find a lead service line or connection either on the RWA’s part of the water system or on your property, it is important to note that because we effectively use corrosion control, your potential exposure to the lead in the line or connection is reduced to safe levels as determined by the EPA.  Our water has always met or was better than all state and federal standards for lead. 

Lead is a common naturally occurring metallic element that can be found in air, soil, and water. It was commonly used in gasoline and paint until the 1970s and is still sometimes found in products such as ceramics, batteries, ammunition, and cosmetics. Lead was used for centuries in plumbing because of its pliability and resistance to leaks.  In fact, lead’s chemical symbol, Pb, is derived from the Latin word for plumbing. 

Lead is a toxic metal that can cause immediate health effects at high doses. Long-term exposure can cause health effects as it builds up in the body over many years. Lead can cause brain and kidney damage in addition to effects on the blood and vitamin D metabolism.

Pregnant women and young children are particularly vulnerable because the physical and behavioral effects of lead occur at lower exposure levels in children than in adults. In children, low levels of exposure have been linked to central and peripheral nervous system damage, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing, and decreased formation and function of blood cells.

While people are more commonly exposed to lead through paint, soil, and dust, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates infants who consume mostly formula mixed with water that contains lead can receive 40% to 60% of their exposure to lead from drinking water.  

It is important to note that because we effectively use corrosion control, your potential exposure to the lead in the line or connection is reduced to safe levels as determined by the EPA.  Our water has always met or was better than all state and federal standards for lead. 

When was lead used in plumbing materials? 

Nationally:

Lead and lead-containing materials were allowed in municipal and household plumbing until 1986. In 1986, U.S. Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act to prohibit the use of pipes, solder or flux that were not “lead-free.” At the time “lead-free” was defined as solder and flux with no more than 0.2% lead and pipes with no more than 8%. In 2014, the maximum allowable lead content was reduced to not more than a weighted average of 0.25% of the wetted surface of pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fittings, and fixtures.

In RWA’s water system:

Our experience is that the use of lead water service lines is associated with homes built prior to 1920, although we cannot rule out their use at later dates. Homes built before 1988, when the Lead Contamination Control Act went into effect, might contain lead in brass plumbing fixtures or lead solder that was used to connect copper pipes. Homes built in or after 1988 are far less likely to have plumbing fixtures or solder that contains lead.

It is important to note that because we effectively use corrosion control, your potential exposure to the lead in the line or connection is reduced to safe levels as determined by the EPA.  Our water has always met or was better than all state and federal standards for lead. 

Lead is not readily apparent in water and might be colorless, odorless, and tasteless.  The only way to know for certain whether your drinking water contains lead is to have your water tested by a certified laboratory. 

It is important to note that lead is NOT in the RWA’s drinking water when it leaves our treatment facilities. However, in some older homes, lead may be present in the pipe connecting the home to the water system – known as a service line -- or in the home plumbing such as valves, fittings, and faucets.  Lead in service pipes, plumbing or fixtures can dissolve, or particles can leach into the water and end up at the tap.

No. In fact, lead in drinking water generally represents only about 10% to 20% of total exposure, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, drinking water can account for more than half of lead exposure in children because of their lower body weight. Additionally, because no level of lead is considered safe, completely eliminating potential sources of lead is strongly advised.

Corrosion inhibitors are chemical products which, when added to water, create a barrier in the pipe. The chemical binds to metallic surfaces to separate water from making direct contact with the pipe.

Corrosion control chemicals are proven to be safe and effective, and are approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration.

Lead can be harmful even at very low levels and can accumulate in our bodies over time, so wherever possible, steps should be taken to reduce or eliminate your household’s exposure. While risks vary based on individual circumstances and the amount of water consumed, no concentration of lead is considered “safe.” Households with pregnant women, infants, or young children are most vulnerable to the harmful effects of lead at low levels.

It is important to note that because we effectively use corrosion control, your potential exposure to the lead in the line or connection is reduced to safe levels as determined by the EPA.  Our water has always met or was better than all state and federal standards for lead. 

The RWA has been in compliance with the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule (LCR), and any revisions, since the rule was first established in 1991.  The results from RWA’s lead and copper compliance testing are provided in the Water Quality Report (also known as Consumer Confidence Report or CCR) that RWA publishes each year.  You can also read RWA’s lead testing data on our website here.

The best way to remove risks of lead in water is to completely replace all sources of lead.  But there are also steps you can take right away to reduce lead levels in your water:

Run the Tap Before Use – If present, lead levels are likely at their highest when water has been sitting in the pipe for several hours. Clear this water from your pipes by running the cold water for several minutes. This allows you to draw fresh water from the main. You can use this water on house plants or to flush toilets.

Clean Aerators – Aerators are small attachments at the tips of faucets which regulate the flow of water. They can accumulate small particles of lead in their screens. It’s a good idea to remove your aerators at least monthly and clean them out.

Use Cold Water for Cooking and Drinking – Always cook and prepare baby formula with cold water, because hot water dissolves lead more quickly, resulting in higher levels in water.

Do Not Boil Water to Remove Lead – Boiling water will not remove lead.

Filter the Water – Many home water filters are effective at removing lead. If you purchase a filter, make sure it is certified for lead removal and that you maintain it properly. Find out more information from the EPA on how to find the correct filters here.

Because lead is not absorbed through the skin, bathing or showering in water containing lead is not considered a health risk.

The EPA’s LCR is focused on finding all remaining lead in our nation's water systems. To accomplish this, all water systems must conduct an inventory of their utility and customer lines.

As part of the EPA’s new regulation, the RWA must investigate the service lines, connections, and fixtures on our customers' private properties, which are your responsibility to maintain or replace. To that end, RWA respectfully asks you to check for lead in your home as soon as reasonably possible. In the future you will be asked to let us know if you have a lead service line. We are creating a tool you can use to help identify the location of your service line and the materials used to make it.  Then, you will fill out a survey with a photo of your service line with the connections to tell us what you found.

The RWA will reach out to you to make an appointment to help identify if you have a lead service line.  The RWA is required by regulation to accurately identify your service line materials.

If the RWA finds a lead line or connection on either side of your water meter or curb valve, we will promptly notify you of the situation.  Because the discovery of a lead service line may have disturbed it in some way, the RWA will instruct you how to flush the water lines in your home or business to prevent the potential for temporary lead exposure. 

After the lines are flushed, the RWA will conduct a water test to determine if the potential for lead exposure has passed.  We will conduct periodic monitoring of the residence or business to ensure that its corrosion control is protecting the water lines.

The lead service line inventory work is designed to find all lead service lines and connections within our system or on our customers’ properties with the goal of removing the lines or connections in the future.  The inventory information will help the RWA develop its lead service replacement program. 

If a service line and connection the RWA uses to take water from our mains to your property is made of lead, it is RWA’s responsibility to replace it, and we will do so as part of a future line replacement program. 

Lead lines or connections found on the customer’s side of the meter are the responsibility of the home or business customer to replace. The RWA is seeking financial assistance from the government to aid in the replacement of customer-owned lead service lines. In the meantime, the RWA will continue using corrosion control to reduce your exposure to lead.  If you decide you do not want to replace your lead service line or connection, we will monitor lead levels in your home for up to six months and show you simple things you can do to reduce your exposure to lead in tap water.

It is important to note that because we effectively use corrosion control, your potential exposure to the lead in the line or connection is reduced to safe levels as determined by the EPA.  Our water has always met or was better than all state and federal standards for lead. 

For nearly 175 years, the RWA has consistently met all the evolving regulatory standards on water quality. It is important to note our drinking water is tested when it leaves our water treatment plants and is lead free.

However, exposure can occur from lead service lines and interior plumbing.

In early 2021, the EPA revised the LCR, a series of regulations and drinking water standards aimed at protecting public health by reducing its potential exposure to lead through drinking water. 

One of its major changes was the addition of a requirement that all water utilities across the country must create inventories of their water service lines and connections to find any lead service line or connection that may exist in a water system.  These inventories must also include the customers’ side of the water meter.