NC Currents Magazine: How Much is LCRR Actually Going to Cost? A Guide To Planning for LCRR First-Phase Implementation

In this article in NC Currents magazine, senior project manager at McKim & Creed Nestor Murray, PE, ENV SP lays out guidelines for utilities facing increased operational demands surrounding the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR).

In 2020 US EPA completed the first major revision to the LCRR in over 30 years. The goal of the LCRR is to improve public health by limiting lead exposure in children, removing lead from public drinking water, and educating the public on the importance of lead reduction in their communities.

Under LCCR, utilities and community water systems (CWSs) will see increased operational expenditures associated with requirements for identifying lead service lines (LSLs), increased testing, and public outreach and education. LCCR includes expanded responsibilities for testing in elementary schools and childcare facilities and a 24-hour window for notifying public officials if a system exceeds the lead action limit.

When LCCR gets passed, utilities will have three years to test their systems for LSLs, providing visibility on systems which will bear greater costs for investment. Based on the inventory, systems with LSLs must develop a Lead Service Line Replacement plan (LSLR) to determine future capital improvement costs.

So how much will it actually cost CWSs to implement the LCRR? That may be a $1 million question. Or a $400,000 question. In this article, Nestor walks readers through an example scenario to help determine actual costs for first-phase implementation. To read the entire article, click on the image above.