National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for Lead and Copper: Improvements (LCRI)

Issuing agencies

Abstract

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing revisions to the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for lead and copper under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). In this document, EPA is proposing to require water systems to replace lead service lines, remove the lead trigger level, reduce the lead action level to 0.010 mg/L, and strengthen tap sampling procedures, among other changes that would improve public health protection and simplify the rule relative to the 2021 Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR). This proposed rule provides improvements in the additional following areas: corrosion control treatment, public education and consumer awareness, requirements for small systems, and sampling in schools and child care facilities. EPA's proposed rule aims to address potential disproportionate impacts of lead in drinking water in communities, including through proposed lead service line replacement and public education, among other areas of the proposed rule.