Lead and Copper Rule Revisions and Service Line Inventories

EPA Lead and Copper Rule Revisions published in 2021 include new provisions and changes to the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). Public water systems now must identify and make public the locations of lead, non-lead, and unknown service lines through a lead service line inventory.

The effective date of the LCR revision has been delayed by the EPA until October 16, 2024.

The LCR revisions will support near-term actions to reduce lead in drinking water, including as the development of lead service line inventories by public water supply systems. The EPA will also develop new rules to strengthen key elements of the LCR revisions. The agency anticipates finalizing the forthcoming Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) prior to October 16, 2024 (the current compliance date for the LCR revisions).

• Supporting materials from the EPA EPA
• Fact sheet: Next Steps for the Lead and Copper Rule EPA
• Read the EPA compliance delay notice EPA

(This information is current as of March 2022.)

Lead Service Line Inventory Templates

Lead service line inventory templates for public water systems in Mississippi are now available from the MSDH Bureau of Public Water Supply. These templates include information required by the Lead and Copper Rule Revision.

All public water supply systems that are classified as community water systems (CWSs) and non-transient non-community (NTNC) water systems are required to submit their lead service line inventories to the Bureau of Public Water Supply by October 16, 2024.

We have prepared several template versions to account for complexity and system size to assist you in the collection of this required information. System sizes below are based on the number of connections of your system.

Basic Inventory Templates

The basic templates satisfy the minimal service line inventory information collection needs for the public water system required by the Lead and Copper Rule revisions.

Additional steps toward sample site plan development will be required at a later date. If the system anticipates the need for service line replacement funding, additional specific information will be need to be eligible for that funding.

• Basic template for systems up to 1,500 connections EXCEL
• Basic template for systems with fewer than 10,000 connections EXCEL

Advanced Inventory Templates

Advanced templates also collect information that will be needed to create a new sample site plan under the revised Rule. They also gather additional information that would help establish the need for service line replacement funding through the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund/Lead Service Line Replacement Fund in the event that a system’s inventory reveals them to have lead service lines..

• Advanced template for systems up to 1,500 connections EXCEL
• Advanced template for systems with fewer than 10,000 connections EXCEL

Additional information could be required of the systems when the Rule is expected to receive further modifications by October of 2024. While we do not anticipate significant changes to this process occurring, the details of the Rule could change the required data a system must submit.

Training and Guidance Resources

• EPA Guidance for Developing and Maintaining a Service Line Inventory PDF
• Lead and Copper Rule Revisions for Water System Operators PDF
• Lead Service Line Inventory Development for Water System Operators PDF

National Lead Ban

In 1986, Congress amended the SDWA to prohibit the use of pipes, solder or flux that are not “lead-free” in public water systems or plumbing in facilities providing water for human consumption. At the time, lead-free was defined as solder and flux with no more than 0.2 percent lead, and pipes with no more than 8.0 percent lead.

In 1996, Congress further amended the SDWA to prohibit the use of pipe and plumbing fittings and fixtures that are not lead-free in the installation and repair of any public water system or plumbing in a facility providing water for human consumption. The 1996 amendments also required lead-free plumbing fittings and fixtures (endpoint devices) to be in compliance with a lead leaching standard.

Lead Bans and Lead Service Line Inventories

If a home was constructed after 1988 in Mississippi, it is expected that the service line for that home was constructed using material(s) other than lead. Public water systems developing their lead service line inventories may designate homes built after 1988 as not having a lead service line in their inventory.

Local ordinances or codes may also provide a time frame that can be used in service line material determinations.

Other Resources

The Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA) has a series of 90-minute presentations about various topics related to lead service line inventory work, and may help you in completing your inventory work.