EPA finalized a rule that revised the national primary drinking water regulations for lead and copper, which would replace all lead drinking water pipes in the US within 10 years. Specifically, the rule replaced a Trump-era rule that required water utilities to replace at least 3% of their lead service lines per year, increasing that rate to 10% per year. The rule also decreased the lead exceedance level from 15 micrograms per liter (ug/L) to 10 ug/L. Plans to revise the rule were announced in 2022 in a court filing before the DC Circuit in litigation over the Trump administration’s revised lead and copper rule. The rule went into effect on Dec. 30, 2024. Read EELP’s analysis of the lead and copper rule.
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