Lead Service Line Inventory—EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Revisions

Group A Community and NTNC Water Systems: If you have not already submitted your LSLI, see the Submit Your Inventory section for instruction on using our submission portal. Thank you for your patience.

Lead and Copper Rule Improvements—Upcoming Requirements

We're working through the adoption process for the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI). While our policy team is assessing the new rule and has not yet formally adopted it, we provide the following requirements and tentative deadlines.

July 1, 2026

LSLI Consumer Notice Certification Form 331-776 (Word) for systems with lead, GRR, or unknown service lines (due annually).

December 1, 2026

Consumer notifications for customers served by lead, GRR, or unknown service lines.

Due annually until the inventory no longer has lead, unknown, and GRR service lines.
You can find guidance documents and templates under the Notification Requirements section below.

November 1, 2027

EPA's Service Line Inventory and Replacement Requirements (PDF)

Builds on the initial inventory due October 16, 2024, but must also include information on connectors (lead, non-lead, unknown and no connector present), as well as any updates and new information on the initial inventory.

EPA's Service Line Replacement Plan Due (PDF)

Required for any water system with at least one lead, GRR, or unknown service lines.
EPA's Calculating Service Line Replacements (PDF)

EPA's Lead in Schools and Child Care Facilities (PDF)

EPA's Public Education Requirements Begin (PDF)

Lowered Lead Action Levels

Changes from 0.015 mg/L to 0.010 mg/L.

January 1, 2028

EPA's Tap Monitoring Requirements Site Plan Due (PDF)

You must submit your updated Tap Sampling Procedures to us.
EPA's Changes in Tap Monitoring Requirements (PDF)
- Revised tiering criteria for sampling locations.
- Additional fifth liter sample required for systems with lead service lines.
Some systems return to collecting a standard number of samples semi-annually.
- Systems with lead or GRR.
- Systems that exceeded the revised lead action level of 0.010 mg/L or the copper action level of 1.3 mg/L in their most recent tap sampling period.

We are also updating our Predictive Modeling/Statistical Analysis guidance to better align with the final LCRI. The revision will give clearer guidance on classifying service lines, including LSL and GRR. We will include information about adding connector status and materials to the upcoming baseline inventory. We encourage water systems to thoroughly classify service lines, especially LSL and GRR, as upcoming replacement plan funding opportunities for public water systems may depend on the amounts of reported lead and GRR.

Lead and Copper Rule Revision—Current Requirements

On January 15, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) that went into effect on December 16, 2021. Group A Community and Non-Transient Non-Community (NTNC) water systems are required to follow the LCRR, which is located in 40 CFR 141. On November 1, 2024, EPA published the finalized Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI), which builds on the current requirements of the LCRR. The new LCRI requirements will take effect in November 2027.

What does this mean to Group A water systems? To comply with the LCRR and LCRI, community and NTNC water systems must have developed and submitted a Lead Service Line Inventory (LSLI) to the state by October 16, 2024. If you are a water system purveyor or operator and your system has not submitted a complete LSLI, or if you are looking for resources to update or improve your LSLI, please see our guidance and resources below.

Guidance and Template for LSL Inventory

The LCRR required all community and non-transient non-community (NTNC) Group A water systems to submit initial service line inventories to the state by October 16, 2024. The lead service line inventory requires water system to dedicate efforts to review historic records and determine appropriate identification methods to obtain both private and utility owned service line information.

We developed publications and documents to help you complete a lead service line inventory.

Lead Service Line Inventory Guidance 331-711 (PDF) Statistical Guidance for Group A PWS Evaluation of Unknown Service Lines 331-723 (PDF) Lead Service Line Frequently Asked Questions 331-712 (PDF) Water Service Line Inventory Customer Survey Form 331-746 (Word)

Use one of the following MS Excel templates to capture the inventory details.

EPA Inventory Template Edited for Washington Small Public Water Systems (Excel). We simplified this template for community and NTNC water systems that serve less than 5,000 connections. To use, open/download the file, click on "Enable Content," and Save to your computer using your system ID number in the file name.
EPA Service Line Inventory Template (Excel). Open, click on “File,” click Save as “Download a copy to your computer,” then open the file saved in your Downloads folder and rename it using your system ID number in the file name.

If you did not complete your LSLI by the October 16, 2024, deadline, fill out the form below.

Lead Service Line Inventory Violation Form 331-764 (Word).

Notification Requirements for Lead, GRR, or Unknown

Public Water Systems that report Lead Service Lines (LSLs), Galvanized Requiring Replacement (GRR), or have Unknown material service lines in their inventory must provide consumer notice to those individual customers on an annual basis, by December 1, until no LSL, GRR or Unknown service lines remain. For systems who have not already submitted a complete LSLI these notices must be provided to customers within 30 days after the inventory is complete.

You must provide these notices to your customers and/or persons served by the service line no later than November 15, 2024. These consumer notices must be provided to customers by mail or by email following the same electronic delivery requirements you use to send the annual consumer confidence reports (CRR Publication 331-470). The templates below include required and proposed language. Please read the last page of each template to learn what information is required in the notice.

Notification of Lead Service Line Confirmed 331-756 (Word)

Notification of Galvanized Service Line Confirmed 331-757 (Word)

Notification of Unknown Service Line 331-758 (Word)

Submit Your Inventory: Group A Public Water Systems—This is a Multi-Step Process

Please Note: If you are a customer of a water utility, please contact your utility to share information regarding your service line. Do not use this portal.

To start the process, click on the next link to fill in a summary of your information: Department of Health Water Lead Service Line Inventory Submittal Portal. Fill out the form, making sure to fill out the required fields, and then submit the form. You will then get an email response letting you know how to send in your detailed inventory file. Follow the instructions in the email. After uploading your inventory file, you will receive another email stating we received your submission. Check for confirmation and save this email for future use and reference.

Key Points to Know

For funding opportunities relating to developing the inventory and replacing lead service lines, please visit our Drinking Water State Revolving Fund webpage.

All Community and non-transient non-community (NTNC) water systems must develop an initial inventory of service lines that meets the LCRR requirements, including service line materials classification and information sources, for both the public and private portions of every service line.

Each service line must be classified as either:

Lead,
Galvanized requiring replacement,
Non-lead, or
Lead status unknown.
Non-lead service lines must be determined through evidence-based record, method, or technique.

Water systems must submit their inventories by October 16, 2024. Water systems must make their inventories publicly available. Large water systems, populations greater than 50,000 people, must post the inventories on their website.

Community systems must indicate in their Consumer Confidence Report how to access service line inventory information. Non-lead community water systems may include a statement that they have no lead service lines in their Consumer Confidence Report.

Water systems must notify every connection served by a lead, galvanized requiring replacement, or lead status unknown within 30 days of completing and submitting their inventories. Systems will need to update the inventory regularly.

Systems must identify and track information on service line materials as they are encountered in the course of normal operations.

Questions

Email us your questions or contact our office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Please consult our interactive map to find the ODW engineer and planner assigned to your county. Our Contacts and Office Location page lists program email addresses and our Staff Directory page groups staff by program.