Lead and Copper Rule

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Lead and copper enter drinking water primarily through plumbing materials. Exposure to lead and copper may cause health problems ranging from stomach distress to brain damage. On June 7, 1991, EPA published a regulation to control lead and copper in drinking water. This regulation is known as the Lead and Copper Rule (also referred to as the LCR or 1991 Rule).

The treatment technique for the rule requires systems to monitor drinking water at customer taps.If lead concentrations exceed an action level of 15 ppb or copper concentrations exceed an action level of 1.3 ppm in more than 10% of customer taps sampled, the system must undertake a number of additional actions to control corrosion. If the action level for lead is exceeded, the system must also inform the public about steps they should take to protect their health and may have to replace lead service lines under their control.

Current Regulation and Quick Reference Guides

Lead and Copper Rule – Code of Federal Regulations 40 CFR Part 141

Lead and Copper Rule: A Quick Reference Guide PDF (2pp, 125K, about PDF)
EPA816-F-04-009, March 2004
Lead and Copper Rule: A Quick Reference Guide for Schools and Child Care Facilities that Are Regulated Under the Safe Drinking Water Act PDF (5 pp, 546 K, about PDF)
EPA 816-F-05-030, October 2005
Regulatory Guidance

2007 Final Revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule

Final Rule, October 10, 2007
- Federal Register Notice: HTML Version | PDF Version (40pp, 282K, about PDF)
2007 Fact Sheet

Economic and Supporting Analyses: Short-Term Regulatory Changes to the Lead and Copper Rule PDF (191pp, 555K, about PDF)
EPA-815-R0-7022 September 2007
For additional supporting information related to this rule-making, visit Docket ID number EPA-HQ-OW-2005-0034 at Regulations.gov.

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Rule-Making History

In 2006 EPA published proposed revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule.

Proposed Rule, July 18, 2006

Federal Register Notice: Proposed Rule
2006 Proposed Rule Revisions Fact Sheet

In 2004, EPA published minor corrections to the Lead and Copper Rule to reinstate text that was inadvertently dropped from the rule during previous revisions.

June 29, 2004 - National Primary Drinking Water Regulations: Minor Corrections and Clarification to Drinking Water Regulations; National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for Lead and Copper

In 2000, EPA published revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule to address implementation problems and issues arising from legal challenges to the 1991 rule. The revisions also streamlined and reduced monitoring and reporting burden.

Final Rule, January 12, 2000

Federal Register Notice: HTML Version

Fact sheet on minor revisions
1998 Notice of Data Availability on the minor revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule
Fact Sheets supporting the 2000 revisions
- Public water systems that serve more than 50,000 persons (PDF 10 pp, 544 K, about PDF)
  EPA 816-F-00-009, February 2001
- Public water systems that serve 3301-50000 persons (PDF 9 pp, 449 K, about PDF)
  EPA 816-F-00-008, February 2001
- Public water systems that serve 3300 or fewer persons (PDF 10 pp, 413 K, about PDF)
  EPA 816-F-00-007, March 2000
- Tribal water system owners and operators (PDF 9 pp, 361 K, about PDF)
  EPA 816-F-00-010, February 2001
- State Primacy Agencies (PDF 10 pp, 146 K, about PDF)
  EPA 816-F-00-011, February 2001

In 1991, EPA published the Lead and Copper Rule to minimize lead and copper in drinking water. The rule replaced the previous standard of 50 ppb, measured at the entry point to the distribution system. The rule established a maximum contaminant level goal (MCLG) of zero for lead in drinking water and a treatment technique to reduce corrosion within the distribution system.