Lead Service Line Management Policy Statement – Revised

AWWA Policy: Lead Service Line Management – Revised

July 20, 2023

The following revised AWWA Policy Statement on Lead Service Line Management has been approved by a Technical and Educational Council  Ad Hoc Committee for member comment. Comments on the policy statement will be reviewed by AWWA staff and forwarded to the Executive Committee if the comments are minor or referred back to the originating body if the comments are substantive. Policies forwarded to the Executive Committee will be reviewed for approval and final action.

Lead Service Line Management Policy Statement – Revised

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) is committed to protecting public health through the reduction of exposure to lead in drinking water. AWWA encourages communities to develop a lead reduction strategy and program that include identifying and removing all lead service lines over time. This policy addresses lead service lines, but AWWA recognizes other potential sources of lead in drinking water (e.g., fixtures installed before 1986, lead solder, etc.).

As part of this lead service line management effort, water utilities and stakeholders should work collaboratively to expand outreach activities to alert property owners and consumers in properties with lead service lines about the risks posed by lead and the appropriate steps to reduce and mitigate those risks. AWWA encourages water providers to maintain optimal corrosion control to minimize the mobilization of lead into water. These measures are critical steps to ensure all people have access to safe and reliable water, recognizing that as long as there is lead in contact with drinking water, some risks remain.

AWWA supports the goal of reducing lead in drinking water through the complete removal of lead service lines to minimize the opportunity for contact between lead-containing materials and drinking water and to reduce the increase in lead mobilization associated with partial-service line replacement. Removal of lead service lines in their entirety requires the development of collaborative community-based approaches. Water utilities play a key role in identification of lead service lines, communicating their presence to customers, educating customers about the importance of their removal, and managing risks following removal. Effective lead service line replacement requires solutions that successfully address current understanding of exposure risk and mitigation strategies, the often-shared ownership of these lines, the associated financial burden, legal constraints, and other barriers and risks posed for individuals and communities as a whole. Community-based programs can facilitate efforts between water utilities and consumers to remove these barriers.

Practices specified in this policy statement are consistent with all other pertinent AWWA policy statements.
Adopted by the Board of Directors January 14, 2017.

Submit Comments by August 21, 2023.