Is there any law or regulation for lead in drinking water?
Yes. The National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR) for Lead and Copper, 40 CFR Parts 141 and 142, promulgated in 1991, established an action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb) for lead in drinking water. Action level exceedance is determined by measuring the concentration of lead in a number of samples collected from a specified number of consumer’s taps. The lead action level is exceeded if the concentration of lead in more than 10 percent of tap water samples is greater than 15ppb. Public water systems exceeding the lead action level are triggered into treatment technique requirements including corrosion control treatment, public education, and, if appropriate, source water treatment and/or lead service line replacement.
