National Opportunity for Lead Exposure Accountability and Deterrence Act of 2019

To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to improve transparency under the national primary drinking water regulations for lead and copper, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the National Opportunity for Lead Exposure Accountability and Deterrence Act of 2019 2. National primary drinking water regulations for lead and copper The Safe Drinking Water Act is amended by inserting after section 1417 of such Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300g–6 1417A. National primary drinking water regulations for lead and copper (a) Lead and copper rule (1) In general The national primary drinking water regulations for lead and copper (in this section referred to as the lead and copper rule (2) Revision The Administrator shall revise the lead and copper in accordance with this section— (A) not later than 9 months after the date of enactment of the National Opportunity for Lead Exposure Accountability and Deterrence Act of 2019 (B) thereafter, in accordance with section 1412(b). (b) Sampling (1) Applicability This subsection applies with respect to sampling by a public water system of lead or copper in drinking water, irrespective of whether such sampling— (A) is required by the lead and copper rule; or (B) is voluntary sampling initiated by customers of the public water system. (2) Reporting Subject to paragraph (3), a public water system shall report the results of sampling to the Administrator or the State exercising primary enforcement responsibility, as applicable, and shall include in such reporting— (A) the number of residential and nonresidential facilities at which the sampling was conducted; (B) subject to paragraph (4), the address of such residential and nonresidential facilities; (C) previous samples taken at such residential and nonresidential facilities and the results of those samples; (D) where such information exists, the material composition of the service lines at such residential and nonresidential facilities; (E) the dates on which the respective sampling occurred; (F) the highest and median lead and copper levels detected; (G) the 90th percentile lead and copper levels (as such percentile is calculated under section 141.80 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, and any successor regulations) detected; (H) the number and value of all samples above the lead or copper action levels; (I) the disinfectants and corrosion inhibitors being used and the target doses at the water treatment plant; (J) any changes since the previous report under this section in the type, method, or quantity of treatments being used in the water sampled; (K) the history of violations, and fines received, by the system; (L) the number of samples invalidated and the reason for their invalidation; and (M) if sampling is conducted at residential facilities other than those with lead service lines, an explanation of why such sampling was conducted. (3) Public availability of reports A public water system shall make publicly available any report that is required by this section or by the lead and copper rule. (4) Privacy A public water system shall give the owner of each residential and nonresidential facility at which sampling data is collected the option to be identified only by block number and street name. (5) Sampling protocol; instructions The Administrator shall— (A) develop a protocol for sampling for compliance with the lead and copper rule; (B) in such protocol— (i) prohibit the use of techniques that minimize the detection of lead or copper in drinking water; (ii) require sampling under this section to occur not less than once per year; (iii) include criteria for site selection that prioritize testing at high-risk buildings; (iv) require sampling at all drinking water taps in all schools served by the public water system; and (v) require the sampling methodology to be scientifically based; and (C) develop instructions for compliance with such protocol for dissemination to public water systems and customers thereof. (c) Action level exceeded (1) Investigations The Administrator (or the State exercising primary enforcement responsibility) shall require on-site investigations on where the source of lead is for all individual samples with a lead or copper concentration above the action level— (A) to be completed by the public water system or local health department within 10 business days of the sample result; and (B) to include additional samples at additional locations to identify the potential scope of elevated lead or copper levels. (2) Notification Whenever a public water system detects a lead or copper concentration level above the action level, the system shall— (A) within 2 calendar days of detecting such an exceedance that is specific to one or more facilities, notify the persons at such facilities; and (B) within 10 calendar days of completion of sampling for a monitoring period applicable under section 141.86 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation), make a report on any exceedance detected pursuant to such sampling publicly available. (d) Public education The lead and copper rule shall require testing results— (1) to be in a standardized format; (2) to be posted on the website of the Administrator, the State exercising primary enforcement responsibility, and the public water system; and (3) to include— (A) the provisions of consumer confidence reports under section 1414(c)(4) relating to lead and copper; (B) reports under subsection (b)(2) on the results of sampling; (C) lead service line replacement materials and financial assistance forms; and (D) how a consumer can request a water test. (e) Service line inventory A public water system shall— (1) develop, maintain, and beginning not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of the National Opportunity for Lead Exposure Accountability and Deterrence Act of 2019 (A) online maps showing the locations of lead service lines; and (B) where information is available, a history of services performed on such lines, including partial line replacement; (2) give the owners of such residential and nonresidential facilities the option to be identified only by block number and street name; and (3) in developing such inventory, take measures to minimize any disturbance to service lines that might release contaminants. (f) Service line ownership A public water system shall collect, maintain, and beginning not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of the National Opportunity for Lead Exposure Accountability and Deterrence Act of 2019 (g) Service line replacement (1) In general Whenever a public water system replaces a lead service line, the lead and copper rule shall— (A) require the system to replace the line from the transmission line to where the line enters the facility; and (B) prohibit partial replacement. (2) Prioritization The lead and copper rule shall require any public water system engaged in replacing lead service lines to prioritize such replacement at high-risk buildings. (h) Definitions In this section: (1) The term high-risk buildings (A) residential and nonresidential facilities with lead service lines— (i) that have galvanized pipes; (ii) that have low water use; or (iii) whose lead service lines are among the longest served by the public water system; and (B) residential facilities at which one or more pregnant women or children reside. (2) The term lead service line (3) The term publicly available (A) written in plain language that is culturally and linguistically appropriate; and (B) (i) published on a publicly accessible website of the public water system; or (ii) if the system does not maintain a publicly accessible website, distributed by carrier route to the persons served by the system. . 3. To lower the action level for lead in drinking water Section 1412(b) of the Safe Drinking Water Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300g–1(b) (16) Lead in drinking water The Administrator shall revise the national primary drinking water regulation for lead to ensure that— (A) not later than December 31, 2022, the action level for lead in drinking water is not more than 10 parts per billion; and (B) not later than December 31, 2028, the action level for lead in drinking water is not more than 5 parts per billion. .

Summary: National Opportunity for Lead Exposure Accountability and Deterrence Act of 2019 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revise the national primary drinking water regulations for lead and copper. The rule must direct public water systems to meet certain reporting requirements; the EPA to develop a sampling protocol and develop instructions for compliance with the protocol; the EPA, or the state exercising primary enforcement responsibility, to require on-site investigations for determining the source of lead when the concentration of lead or copper contamination exceeds specified levels; public water systems to meet certain notification and reporting requirements when lead or copper concentration limits are exceeded; the systems to develop and publish an inventory of the material composition of the service lines at residential and nonresidential facilities; the systems to collect and publish information about the ownership of those service lines; and the systems, when replacing lead service lines, to entirely replace the lines instead of partially replacing them. The EPA must also revise the rule to lower the allowable level of lead in drinking water.