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This article discusses the long-awaited U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) rule to correct several Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) problems. Proposed in mid-July amidst evidencethat even the lead action level of 15g/L at the 90th percentile of monitoredhomes is still being misconstruedas a health standard, the rule consolidatesinto seven categorical changes thenine corrective actions it identified in theMarch 2005 Drinking Water Lead ReductionPlan. The plan was the first major productof the LCR review that USEPA launchedin response to violations by the District ofColumbia Water and Sewer Authority(WASA) in early 2004.Emphasizing that the proposed changesdon't affect basic LCR requirements, includingthe lead action level that triggers publiceducation and lead service line (LSL) replacementrequirements, USEPA said the proposalaims to strengthen LCR implementation inthe short-term by clarifying the original intentof certain requirements and revising others.The agency estimates that the changes wouldimpose one-time, up-front costs of $8.1 millionon utilities and $730,000 on states andcombined annual costs ranging from $5.1million to $5.5 million.

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Edition: Vol. 98 - No. 10 Published: 10/01/2006 Number of Pages: 10 File Size: 1 file , 93 KB