ASDWA Releases State Implementation Framework for Lead Service Line Inventories

As part of the collective effort to implement the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions, ASDWA has released the State Implementation Framework for Lead Service Inventories.  The associated Template (Excel spreadsheet) for the Framework can be found on ASDWA’s webpage for the Lead and Copper Rule. The Template is only a model, and will likely be revised and/or modified by primacy agencies to fit their own needs. The Framework and Template are part of ASDWA’s ongoing Lead Service Line Inventory Symposium sessions. ASDWA coordinated with EPA on the development of the Framework and Template, and EPA is planning to release its Inventory Guidance and its Template in a couple of months. This Framework will likely need to be updated and revised as our collective knowledge evolves.

This is the first step on the collective journey to identify and replace all the lead service lines across the country. These replacements are a signficant effort and will require an unprecedented amout of work by primacy agencies, water systems, consultants, and others to replace all the lead service lines across the country. The Federal funding for lead service line replacement through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) is going to increase pressure on systems and communities to identify and replace lead service lines as soon as possible. Developing an accurate and complete inventory will take several years, and systems need to start working now on their initial inventories. While the October 2024 deadline to submit an initial inventory seems like a long ways away, developing the initial inventory for most water systems is going to take time and effort.