Turning the Tide on Lead in Drinking Water

Across the United States, water utilities, regulators, and communities are grappling with a century-old legacy: lead service lines. These buried pipes once connected millions of homes and businesses to water mains because lead was inexpensive and easy to work with. Today, we know that any lead in a service line carries the risk of leaching into drinking water, posing serious health threats, especially to children and vulnerable populations. Addressing this problem isn’t just an engineering challenge - it’s a public health imperative.

Under recent federal regulatory action, identifying and replacing these hazardous lines has moved from a long-standing aspiration to a clear, enforceable mission. At the center of this effort is service line inventory - a systematic accounting of what types of pipes connect every premise to a public water system. Rather than relying on old, often incomplete maps and records, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) require community water systems to prepare and submit a comprehensive inventory by October 16, 2024, classifying every service line as lead, galvanized requiring replacement (GRR), non-lead, or unknown. This inventory must include precise location identifiers and be maintained over time.

For utilities, building that inventory has been a monumental undertaking. Many systems lacked reliable historical records; some urban centers have service lines dating back to the early 20th century. Utilities have had to piece together plumbing permits, construction documents, and field inspections - and for many households, that meant literally digging to confirm what lies beneath the soil. Once inventories are complete, customers served by lead or unknown lines must be notified - a transparency step experts view as fundamental to public trust.

Inventory work isn’t an end in itself. It’s the foundation for full lead service line replacement (LSLR). Under the strengthened rule framework, utilities are now required to replace lead and certain galvanized service lines under their control within 10 years. They must develop replacement plans, prioritize segments based on risk and equity considerations, and track progress publicly. While states may provide flexibility for systems with high lead line counts, the overarching direction is clear: remove the source of exposure entirely.

Federal funding is playing a significant role. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and subsequent allocations, tens of billions of dollars are available to help water systems both identify and remove lead lines. Recent federal announcements included over $3 billion in new funding to support these efforts, alongside previously allocated resources, reflecting ongoing investment in safer drinking water.

Still, challenges remain. Estimates of the number of lead service lines in the U.S. have shifted over time - a recent federal update suggested roughly 4 million remain, down from earlier figures near 9 million - prompting some debate about data accuracy and the scale of work left to do. And in many cities, replacement programs are just ramping up, balancing technical hurdles with community engagement, funding constraints, and logistical realities.

Yet the momentum is unmistakable. From inventories that illuminate long-hidden infrastructure risks to targeted replacement programs backed by robust regulation and funding, the nation is advancing toward the day when tap water free of lead - not just for some, but for all - becomes an expectation rather than an aspiration.