page_title: Safe Drinking Water Act
section_title: "Lead Free" plumbing requirements
hierarchical_section_title: Safe Drinking Water Act / National Primary Drinking Water Regulations / Inorganic Chemicals / "Lead Free" plumbing requirements
caption_attribution_description: English: Illustration of sources of lead in drinking water in residential buildings in the U.S. Cropped from larger illustration.
context_page_description: The Safe Drinking Water Act is the principal federal law in the United States intended to ensure safe drinking water for the public. Pursuant to the act, the Environmental Protection Agency is required to set standards for drinking water quality and oversee all states, localities, and water suppliers that implement the standards.
  The SDWA applies to every public water system in the United States. There are currently over 151,000 public water systems providing water to almost all Americans at some time in their lives. The Act does not cover private wells. A 2020 study found that children raised in homes with unregulated wells had a 25% increased risk of elevated blood lead than children raised in homes supplied by water utilities regulated by the SDWA.
  The SDWA does not apply to bottled water. Bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
context_section_description: The 1986 amendments require EPA to set standards limiting the concentration of lead in public water systems, and defines "lead free" pipes as:
  (1) solders and flux containing not more than 0.2 percent lead;
  (2) pipes and pipe fittings containing not more than 8.0 percent lead; and
  (3) plumbing fittings and fixtures as defined in industry-developed voluntary standards (issued no later than August 6, 1997), or standards developed by EPA in lieu of voluntary standards.
  EPA issued an initial lead and copper regulation in 1991 and last revised the regulation in 2007. The regulation specifies a Treatment Technique rather than an MCL.
  Congress tightened the definition of "lead free" plumbing in a 2011 amendment to the Act. To implement the amendment, EPA published a proposed rule in 2017. The final rule is pending as of 2020.
  EPA published another proposed rule on November 13, 2019 addressing lead issues. The proposal would mandate additional requirements for sampling tap water, corrosion control, replacement of lead service lines, public outreach and testing water in schools.
caption: EPA illustration of lead sources in residential buildings
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