(Montana) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has updated its Lead and Copper Rule, which requires water systems across the country to take steps to control these metals in drinking water. As part of that, they are giving systems until October to make an inventory of lead service lines, which are the pipes that run between water mains and the customer.
The EPA says there is no safe level of lead exposure. Even low levels of lead in drinking water have been linked to health impacts, especially for children.
Water systems will have to identify lead pipes and galvanized pipes that have ever been downstream from a lead pipe. The rule applies to community systems – including cities, towns and subdivisions – as well as to buildings like schools, factories, offices and hospitals that have their own systems.
