The Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA), an association of state primacy agencies, has released a new white paper on developing lead service line inventories. The paper included a breakdown of existing programs in four states (California, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin) that currently require community water systems to provide data on the materials of their service lines, as well as three states (Indiana, Massachusetts, and Washington) that have conducted voluntary surveys. ASDWA also outlined numerous recommendations for states looking to create their own surveys, whether mandatory or voluntary.
States and utilities are still waiting for EPA to release its proposal for the new Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). The agency has previously stated in its Federal Lead Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures and Associated Health Impacts to expect the LCR this summer. Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water Dave Ross told AMWA Water Policy Conference attendees in April that the likelihood of seeing the proposed rule by this summer was “very, very, very high.” As of September 23, the rule was still under review at the Office of Management and Budget, and no new announcements or updates to the timeline have been provided by the agency.