Connections Article

Lead collaborative offers guide to consider equity in lead line replacements

November 2, 2022

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AWWA Articles

Lead collaborative offers guide to consider equity in lead line replacements

The Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative recently released a five-step guide to help water utilities incorporate equity considerations into decision-making related to lead service line replacement. 

This information can help inform water systems as they prepare for requirements in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Revised Lead and Copper Rule (LCRR), and for additional considerations in the forthcoming Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI). 

girl drinking water, crew replacing lead service line, water faucetThe LCRR went into effect in December 2021 to support near-term development of U.S. regulatory actions to reduce lead in drinking water – including the identification, mapping and removal of lead service lines. At the same time, EPA said it would develop a new proposed rulemaking to strengthen key elements of the rule – the LCRI. The agency anticipates finalizing the LCRI prior to Oct. 16, 2024, the initial compliance date in the LCRR.

A key part of EPA’s efforts to strengthen the regulatory framework on lead in drinking water is to incorporate an equity approach into decision making. As such, it is helpful for water systems to consider the local history, demographics, construction patterns and practices, and economic levels within the communities they serve to better determine which households should be prioritized for expedited lead service line replacements, funding support or other assistance.

On Oct. 31, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) provided comments to the EPA’s Science Advisory Board in anticipation of its Nov. 3 consultation regarding environmental justice analysis related to the LCRI. 

AWWA’s comments urged the SAB to make recommendations to EPA that help the agency to:

  • Focus on key questions related to equity in LSL replacement like those that underpin the LSLR Collaborative’s guide
  • Conduct analyses appropriate to the data and timeframes that are available
  • Consider the competing expectations on water systems seeking to comply with the LCR as it crafts the LCRI

Equity considerations are a major focus of AWWA’s A Water Utility Manager’s Guide to Community Stewardship

To help utilities communicate about lead in their own communities, AWWA will host a webinar on Dec. 2, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. MT, titled “Let’s Talk Lead: New LCRR Communications Tools to Strengthen Public Trust.

More information is available on AWWA’s Lead Resource page and through its Lead Communications tools. 
 

Westlake

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