Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) and Lead Service Line Inventory (LSLI) Requirements

Palmdale Water District (PWD) is committed to providing safe drinking water to its customers by following all federal and state regulations. The State Water Resource Control Board (SWRCB) is in alignment with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and enforces their regulations, including the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). In 2021, the EPA made changes to the LCR, which became known as the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR).

On January 15, 2021, the EPA finalized the LCRR and published it in the Federal Register. The final LCRR applies to all Community Water Systems (CWSs). PWD is a CWS.

To ensure public water systems are reducing lead exposure to their customers, the EPA (via the LCRR) is requiring all CWSs to complete a Lead Service Line Inventory (LSLI). The objective of the LSLI is to determine if there are any lead pipes in the water distribution system on both the public and customer (private) connections. This inventory must be completed and submitted by October 16, 2024.

The initial LSLI requirements of the LCRR specify:

• Information water systems must include in their service line inventory.
• When water systems must submit their initial inventories to their primacy agency.
• Requirements for water systems to make their information publicly accessible.
• CWSs must notify persons served by the water system of service connections with a lead, galvanized line requiring replacement (GRR), or if the lead service connections status is unknown.
• CWSs serving more than 100,000 people must make the information on the service connections available online.

To meet the requirements of the LCRR, PWD assessed its service lines to customers’ water meters and the customers’ service lines from their water meter.  This was done to identify any past or present lead connections or service lines and protect public health.  PWD did an initial assessment of the service lines in 2024 and is pleased to announce that no past or present lead connections or service lines were found.

Under the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), water systems are required to make their initial inventories publicly accessible (40 CFR 141.84(a)(8)). The inventories may be made available on the water system’s website, by mail, or in-person at the water system’s office. Water systems serving greater than 50,000 persons are required to publish their inventories online or post a non-lead written statement.

When a water system has no lead, galvanized requiring replacement, or lead status unknown service lines in its inventory, regardless of ownership, it may meet the LCRR public accessibility requirement using a non-lead written statement in lieu of the inventory. The statement should declare that the water system’s distribution system has no lead service lines or galvanized requiring replacement (GRR) service lines. The statement must also include a general description of all applicable sources of information used to make this determination (40 CFR 141.84(a)(9)).