§ 141.84 Lead service line replacement requirements.

(a) Lead service line inventory. All water systems must develop an inventory to identify the materials of service lines connected to the public water distribution system. The inventory must meet the following requirements:

(1) All water systems must develop an initial inventory by October 16, 2024, and submit it to the primacy agency in accordance with § 141.90(e).

(2) The inventory must include all service lines connected to the public water distribution system regardless of ownership status (e.g., where service line ownership is shared, the inventory would include both the portion of the service line owned by the water system and the customer-owned portion of the service line).

(3) A water system must use any information on lead and galvanized iron or steel that it has identified pursuant to § 141.42(d) when conducting the inventory of service lines in its distribution system for the initial inventory under paragraph (a)(1) of this section. The water system must also review the sources of information listed in paragraphs (a)(3)(i) through (iv) of this section to identify service line materials for the initial inventory. The water system may use other sources of information not listed in paragraphs (a)(3)(i) through (iv) of this section if approved by the State.

(i) All construction and plumbing codes, permits, and existing records or other documentation which indicates the service line materials used to connect structures to the distribution system.

(ii) All water system records, including distribution system maps and drawings, historical records on each service connection, meter installation records, historical capital improvement or master plans, and standard operating procedures.

(iii) All inspections and records of the distribution system that indicate the material composition of the service connections that connect a structure to the distribution system.

(iv) Any resource, information, or identification method provided or required by the State to assess service line materials.

(4) Each service line, or portion of the service line where ownership is split, must be categorized in the following manner:

(i) “Lead” where the service line is made of lead.

(ii) “Galvanized Requiring Replacement” where a galvanized service line is or was at any time downstream of a lead service line or is currently downstream of a “Lead Status Unknown” service line. If the water system is unable to demonstrate that the galvanized service line was never downstream of a lead service line, it must presume there was an upstream lead service line.

(iii) “Non-lead” where the service line is determined through an evidence-based record, method, or technique not to be lead or galvanized requiring replacement. The water system may classify the actual material of the service line (i.e., plastic or copper) as an alternative to classifying it as “Non-lead.”

(iv) “Lead Status Unknown” where the service line material is not known to be lead, galvanized requiring replacement, or a non-lead service line, such as where there is no documented evidence supporting material classification. The water system may classify the line as “Unknown” as an alternative to classifying it as “Lead Status Unknown,” however, all requirements that apply to “Lead Status Unknown” service lines must also apply to those classified as “Unknown.” Water systems may elect to provide more information regarding their unknown lines as long as the inventory clearly distinguishes unknown service lines from those where the material has been verified through records or inspection.

(5) Water systems shall identify and track service line materials in the inventory as they are encountered in the course of its normal operations (e.g., checking service line materials when reading water meters or performing maintenance activities).

(6) Water systems must update the inventory based on all applicable sources described in paragraphs (a)(3) and (5) of this section and any lead service line replacements or service line material inspections that may have been conducted. The water system may use other sources of information if approved by the State and must use other sources of information provided or required by the State. Water systems must submit the updated inventory to the State in accordance with § 141.90(e). The inventory updates must be reflected in the publicly accessible inventory no less frequently than when required to be submitted to the State.

(i) Water systems whose inventories contain only non-lead service lines are not required to provide inventory updates to the State or to the public. If, in the future, such a water system finds a lead service line within its system, it must prepare an updated inventory in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section on a schedule established by the State.

(ii) [Reserved]

(7) To calculate the number of service line replacements applicable to paragraphs (f) and (g) of this section, the replacement rate must be applied to the sum of known lead and galvanized requiring replacement service lines when the system first exceeds the trigger or action level plus the number of lead status unknown service lines in the beginning of each year of a system's annual goal or mandatory lead service line replacement program.