Office of Drinking Water Quality

Public Water Programs

Lead and Copper Rule
 Short-Term Revisions

(effective December 10, 2007)

The federal government has made some revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule, summarized below.  While we have made every effort to see that these summaries are accurate, please be aware that the actual text of the rule will govern.  You can see the text from the Federal Register here.  Also, EPA has some FAQs at this site.

WHO IS AFFECTED?  All Community and Non-Transient, Non-Community water suppliers.

WHEN DO THESE RULE CHANGES TAKE EFFECT? These changes are now in effect.

WHAT ARE THE CHANGES? The changes are summarized below:

1. Systems with fewer than five taps  Need only take one sample per tap.  The highest value will be considered the 90th percentile for compliance (rather than the average of the two highest, if five samples were taken).
   
2. Compliance and Monitoring periods re-defined  The compliance period is the six-month, one-year or three-year period covered by a schedule.  The monitoring period is the time frame during which samples must be taken.  For systems sampling twice a year, the two periods are identical.  For systems on an annual or triennial schedule, the monitoring period is June 1 to September 30 during the year in which the system must take samples.  Also, an exceedance event is considered to start at the close of the monitoring period (Sep. 30, June 30 or Dec. 31) for starting a compliance schedule.
   
3. Reduce Monitoring Criteria  This change specifies that a system that exceeds lead or copper action levels MUST return to standard sampling (twice a year), regardless of the WQP levels they have been reporting.
   
4. Advance notification and approval of long-term changes to water treatment  If a system intends to make long-term changes to water treatment that may impact corrosion, the state must approve such changes in advance. 
   
5. Providing results to consumers whose taps are sampled Suppliers must provide sample results to residents where samples were taken within thirty days of the supplier’s receipt of the results.  Notification must include an explanation of health effects, steps that can be taken to reduce exposure, and supplier contact information.
   
6. Lead information in the CCR  Because of the variability of lead levels among sample sites, indicating variability among the entire housing stock, educational language will be required for all water systems that produce a CCR.  The language has been simplified, but distribution has been expanded to reach at-risk populations.  Text at pp. 35 - 37 of the Federal Register.
   
7. Re-evaluation of lead service lines deemed replaced through testing Moot in RI.

Please email Clay Commons or call (401) 222 - 7769 if you have any questions about this rule.