EPA to Require Replacement of All Lead Pipes Within 10 Years
A final rule issued by EPA on Tuesday requires most water systems in the United States to identify and replace all lead pipes within 10 years of the compliance date, which will be set when the rule is officially published in the Federal Register. All affected water systems must have a service line replacement plan in place by the compliance date, according to the prepublication copy of the rule (PDF). The rule also lowers the action level for lead in water from 0.015 mg/L to 0.010 mg/L, which EPA says “will result in more water systems installing and re-optimizing optimal corrosion control treatment.” The agency estimates that there are approximately 9.2 million lead service lines in use across the nation.
A statement issued by the CEO of the American Water Works Association expresses support for the rule as well as concerns regarding technical and cost-related challenges. For example, AWWA notes that removing the entirety of all lead service lines could be complicated by the fact that some service lines are partly on private property and not owned by a water utility. The rule requires water systems to replace all lead service lines that are “under their control,” and AWWA urges EPA to provide “further explanation to assure water utilities are operating within their legal authority.” AWWA’s statement also indicates a potential gap between allocated funding and the cost of implementing the new rule. The organization estimates that the total cost of replacing lead service lines nationwide could exceed $90 billion, whereas a fact sheet (PDF) published by EPA notes that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $26 billion over five years to address lead in drinking water.
Several U.S. communities are already working to replace lead pipes, EPA’s news release explains. For example, Milwaukee Water Works in Wisconsin is on track to replace 3,400 lead service lines this year, and Michigan’s Detroit Water and Sewerage Department is set to replace more than 8,000 lead service lines in 2024. The agency says its new rule will create jobs in local communities as water systems must accelerate the removal of affected pipes.
A NIOSH health hazard evaluation published in 2021 discusses lead exposures to workers charged with replacing lead service lines. NIOSH personnel observed two crews of four workers employed by a municipal water department. Workers typically attached a new copper line to the existing lead line and extracted it, pulling the new one into place. In some cases, removal required workers to blow a steel cable through the existing line with compressed air, resulting in discharges of large amounts of aerosolized lead. NIOSH found lead on employees’ hands, inside work gloves, in work trucks, and in workers’ locker rooms. Some workers wore their respirators incorrectly.
A separate NIOSH “workplace solutions” document published last year highlights ways to reduce workers’ lead exposure during water service line removal and replacement. A few tasks that can result in lead exposures to workers include cutting or handling lead pipes, excavating lead-contaminated soil, and changing filters on vacuums used to collect lead dust.
For more information on the new rule, see EPA’s webpage on lead and copper rule improvements.
Related: Read about federal and state workplace lead regulations in the December 2023 Synergist.
