Revised EPA Lead and Copper Rule Requires Cities To Complete Lead Service Line Inventories

BlueConduit’s data-driven technology makes cities EPA-compliant by efficiently and economically producing lead service line inventories

Now according to the EPA Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) revision (announced December 16, 2021), public water systems have more work to do. LCR requires cities to develop a lead service line inventory by October 16, 2024. Yet utilities are hindered by missing and inaccurate service line records. Fortunately, machine learning technology now in use in over fifty cities across the U.S. can be used by cities nationwide to address this information gap.

LCR has been updated to expedite the reduction of lead exposure in drinking water in the most at-risk communities across the country. Service lines are the most significant source of exposure to lead in drinking water. Exposure to lead is associated with damage to learning, behavior, growth, and reproductive systems in people.

“With the release of the newly revised LCR, all communities have now received a direct call to action to eradicate lead contamination from their water systems. An actionable lead pipe inventory is an essential first step and the foundation of any effective removal and replacement plan,” says Eric Schwartz, co-founder of BlueConduit and professor of marketing at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. “Now is the time for cities and states to proactively create lead service line inventories not only to be compliant with the EPA’s three-year planning timeline, but also to prioritize the health and safety of their citizens.”

BlueConduit’s predictive model — a technology for which BlueConduit was named a TIME’s Best Invention of 2021 — characterizes lead service line probabilities on a home-by-home basis, enabling municipalities to budget and plan programs based on clear, actionable data. BlueConduit’s lead service line inventories expedite lead pipe removal and replacement by allowing officials to deploy targeted replacement efforts to high-risk homes. They also save cities millions of dollars in unnecessary pipe inspection dig-ups.

BlueConduit’s software was originally used in Flint, Michigan. Its successful deployment saved the city tens of millions of dollars and reduced the total number of days residents lived with a lead-tainted water supply. BlueConduit’s machine learning technology is now being used across the U.S. for lead service line replacement projects in cities such as Trenton, New Jersey, Toledo, Ohio, and Detroit, Michigan. BlueConduit will help each city save millions in taxpayer dollars by eliminating unnecessary replacement costs.

About BlueConduit
BlueConduit is a water analytics company that has developed cutting-edge, predictive machine-learning methods to locate lead service lines, empowering local officials with the information to efficiently remove those pipes. Named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2021, the company’s model enables utilities to focus their resources on digging where the lead is, accelerating the removal of this significant health concern, and saving millions of dollars in avoided digs. Since 2016, BlueConduit has worked with more than 50 municipalities and inventoried nearly 1 million service lines, which serve more than 2 million people. For more information, visit BlueConduit.com.