Lead and Copper Rule

 

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
  • Subpart E, Section141.43 - Prohibition on use of lead pipes, solder, and flux
  • Subpart I – Control of Lead and Copper
• Lead and Copper Rule: A Revised Quick Reference Guide PDF (2pp, 125K, about PDF)
  EPA816-F-08-018, June 2008
  
• 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

Long-Term Revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule

This section is a reference for the public regarding the long-term revisions to the LCR. Here you will find links and information regarding public outreach, and opportunities for public participation in the revisions process.

Overview
The goal for the LCR Long-Term Revisions is to improve public health protection provided by the LCR by making substantive changes based on topics that were identified in the 2004 National Review, and to streamline the rule requirements. Example categories of potential changes to the rule include:

• Sample site collection criteria and sampling procedures for lead and copper tap monitoring
• Corrosion control treatment and water quality parameter monitoring requirements
• Lead service line replacement requirements
• Schools and day care facilities
• Consecutive system requirements
• Potentially outdated requirements, rule relevancy and simplicity for systems

Consultations

Stakeholder Meeting


•  Federal Register Notice: Public Meeting: Potential Regulatory Implications of the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act of 2011
  
• Federal Register Notice: The LCR Stakeholder Meeting
• LCR Stakeholder Meeting Agenda November 2010 PDF (2pp, 29K)
  
• LCR Stakeholder Meeting Presentation November 2010 PDF (54pp, 1M)
  Contact for General Information
  Jerry Ellis
  202-564-2766
  ellis.jerry@epa.gov 

Tribal Consultations

Notification of Upcoming Consultation with Indian Tribes

EPA is initiating consultation and coordination with Indian Tribes on the proposed revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). The LCR applies to all public water systems as defined under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Any revisions to the LCR would also impact a tribal government that has primary enforcement authority (primacy) for public water systems on tribal lands. Additional details and background information regarding this consultation can be found in the Tribal Notification Letter.

• LCR Tribal Consultation Letter (PDF) (1pp, 179K)

EPA will be holding a national tribal consultation teleconference. Meeting details are below.

• Date: Thursday, December 1, 2011 from 1:00 - 2:30pm EST.
• Tele-conference call-in number: 1-866-299-3188
• Conference code: 2025644689


• Contact for general information:
• Matt Robinson
• 202-564-2802
• robinson.mattm@epa.gov

Environmental Justice

• Notice of a Public Meeting: Environmental Justice Considerations for Drinking Water Regulatory Efforts - March 3, 2011
  

2007 Revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule

• Federal Register Notice - Final Rule, October 10, 2007
  • 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 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.

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