North Dakota DEQ Shares Update on EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Requirements

(North Dakota Department of Environmental image)

(KNOX) –  The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality (NDDEQ) is updating residents on the state’s efforts to comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Revision, a federal effort to reduce lead exposure in drinking water. This rule prioritizes the identification and replacement of lead service lines to further safeguard public health.

EPA revisions to the Lead and Copper Rules under the Safe Drinking Water Act require public water systems (PWS) to submit an initial service line inventory by Oct. 16, 2024, and an updated baseline inventory by November 2027. The inventory must document the material type for both the public and private side of all service lines within the PWS and categorize them as lead, non-lead, galvanized requiring replacement, or unknown.

To help the public better understand how the rule affects them, the NDDEQ recently hosted a public webinar titled How Does the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Affect Me? The recorded webinar is available for viewing at deq.nd.gov. It provides an overview of the new rules, explains North Dakota’s current compliance progress, and discusses consumer confidence reports and service line inventory procedures.

North Dakota residents with questions about their service lines should first contact their local public water system. Additional information is available by contacting the NDDEQ at 701-328-5190. More resources, including answers to frequently asked questions, can be accessed at deq.nd.gov/MF/DWP/LCRR/.