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TCEQ- Lead & Copper Rule
Oct 16, 2024
Attention PWSC Customers;
Pattison Water Supply Corporation (PWSC) is making a diligent effort to compose an accurate water service line inventory by October 16th, 2024, by utilizing its existing asset management software, researching city records, and in public outreach and citizen engagement.
PWSC’s goal in public outreach is to promote education on lead in drinking water, encourage participation in assisting PWSC in composing a water service line inventory, and publicize the requirements of the Lead and Copper Rule Revision. The public can get onto PWSC’s website and view this educational page published October 2023 for the specific project known as the Lead & Copper Rule that provides an overview of the LCRR to PWSC customers.
We are encouraging our customers/members to voluntarily answer and submit a Lead & Copper Service Line Inventory Survey which will be used to fulfill requirements requested from the EPA and TCEQ.
Your cooperation is appreciated!
Lead & Copper Rule (LCRR) Customer Survey
Overview of EPA’s Lead & Copper Rule (LCR)
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. In 1991, EPA published a regulation to control lead and copper in drinking water, effective with the Safe Drinking Water Act. This regulation is known as the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR).
Since 1991, the LCR has undergone various revisions, as summarized Figure 1 below. In 2007, EPA revised the Lead and Copper Rule to enhance implementation in the areas of monitoring, treatment, customer awareness, and lead service line replacement. The update also enhanced public education requirements and ensured drinking water consumers receive meaningful, timely and useful information.
In 2014, there was a crisis in the City of Flint, Michigan, where drinking water was contaminated with lead due to an increase in the corrosivity of the drinking water. The increased corrosivity resulted in lead from aging pipes leaching into the water supply. The crisis in Flint spurred the EPA on to revise the Lead and Copper rule. EPA’s 2021 Lead and Copper Rule Revision (LCRR) seeks to better protect children and communities from the risks of lead exposure by better protecting children at schools and child care facilities, getting the lead out of our nation’s drinking water, and empowering communities through information. The goal of the Lead and Copper Rule Revision is to change the rule from a corrosion protection regulation to one that is intended to protect public health by the removal of lead from the water we consume.
The LCRR can be summarized into three action items for water service providers:
- Composition of a Lead Service Line Inventory
- Implementation of an updated Tap Sampling Plan
- and composition of a Lead Service Line Replacement Plan
Per the LCRR, all water systems must develop an initial Lead Service Line Inventory (LSLI), by October 16th, 2024. The LSLI is an inventory of all water service connections on the system, identifying the material type of all water service lines, including all abandoned and non-potable lines. A water service line constitutes the water pipe from the water main in the street to the meter in the home. The material type may physically change at the curb stop, which separates the water main side of the service line and the building side of the service line. PWSC’s policy is that the property owner is responsible for the maintenance of the full length of the water service line, from the water main in the street to the building. Per the LCRR, any service line will fall into one of the following categories: Lead or partial lead, non-lead (documented), Galvanized, or Unknown. If it cannot be verified that a galvanized is “free from lead” then it must be assumed to be lead. Unknowns may be recorded, but they are considered as lead until proven otherwise.
Resources:
TCEQ- Lead & Copper Rule Informational
TCEQ- Lead & Copper Rule Revisions
TCEQ- Lead & Copper Rule Revisions Informational
PWSC- Lead Service Line Survey
