At present, utilities need only replace lines under LCRR in three scenarios:
- If the customer replaces their side of the line and asks the utility to replace the public side
- If the 90th percentile Tier Site monitoring results are greater than 10 ppb. Under this scenario, the utility must conduct active outreach with customer on known LSLs and unknown lines and must attempt to replace lines at the rate they select with their state regulator in the require Lead Service Line Replacement Plan*
- If 90th percentile Tier Site monitoring results are greater than 15 ppb, the utility must replace 3% of all known LSLs, Galvanized requiring replacements and unknown service lines annually for two years.
The rule requires two “good faith attempts” to reach the customers that either resulted in a signed or verbal refusal, or non-response. This provision allows a water system to maintain compliance with the rule in the expected cases when customers do not cooperate enough with systems to meet the minimum LSLR requirements in the rule. However, this provision does not allow refusal of an individual customer to count as a replaced LSL.
*All water systems with LSLs or lead status unknown service lines in their initial inventory must create and submit an LSLR plan to their state by the rule’s compliance date. The LSLR plan must include a description of: (1) A strategy for determining the composition of lead status unknown service lines in its inventory, (2) procedures to conduct full LSLR, (3) a strategy for informing customers before a full or partial LSLR, (4) for systems that serve more than 10,000 persons, a recommended LSLR goal rate in the event of a lead trigger level exceedance, (5) a procedure for customers to flush service lines and premise plumbing of particulate lead, (6) a LSLR prioritization strategy based on factors including but not limited to the targeting of known LSLs, LSLR for disadvantaged consumers and populations most sensitive to the effects of lead, and (7) a funding strategy for conducting LSLRs which considers ways to accommodate customers that are unable to pay to replace the portion they own.