SWLCWPUD has completed the Service Line Inventory project, a proactive effort that confirmed no lead service line materials are in use in our system. This project meets new federal requirements (Lead and Copper Rule Improvements) to identify service line materials in water systems by October 2024. Identifying lead service lines and replacing them, if found, is important to protecting public health. Installation records and prior inspections suggested that our potential to find lead service lines was very low.
The Biden-Harris Administration issued a final rule requiring drinking water systems across the country to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years. The Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) also require more rigorous testing of drinking water and a lower threshold requiring communities to take action to protect people from lead exposure in water. In addition, the final rule improves communication within communities so that families are better informed about the risk of lead in drinking water, the location of lead pipes, and plans for replacing them. This final rule is part of the EPA’s commitment to replace every lead pipe in the country within a decade, making sure that all communities can turn on the tap and drink clean water.
There is no safe level of lead exposure. In drinking water, the primary source of lead is from pipes, which can present a risk to the health of children and adults. EPA is committed to using every tool available to protect all Americans from lead in drinking water. As part of a whole of government plan to deliver clean drinking water, and replace lead pipes, EPA proposed then finalized the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) to strengthen the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). First promulgated in 1991, the LCR regulates lead and copper in public drinking water systems.
You can view our test results at yourwater.oregon.gov
For information on getting your tap water tested visit Oregon Laboratory Lists and Reporting Information