The Lead and Copper Rule revisions, which went into effect under the guidance of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in December 2021, are meant to reduce exposure to lead and copper from water pipes and plumbing.
The rule revisions set forth two main requirements. First, the rule requires water utilities to develop inventories of lead service lines in their service areas and to share that information with their communities with a compliance deadline of October 16, 2024. Second, the rule requires water utilities to develop plans to remove all lead service lines in their entirety over time.
Each property owner in OCWA’s system maintains a service line that connects the residence or business plumbing to the water system. OCWA has been working to increase customer communications on the rule revisions and raise public awareness on this vital issue.
You can help by checking your property’s pipes! For more information on how to check for the possible presence of lead, please click here.
We also have provided you with a very helpful article from NPR that walks you through the process, which can be accessed here.
Please see the following video from the American Water Works Association – Together, Let’s Get the Lead Out!