But water utilities weren't convinced. Representatives from across the country said pipe replacements would be more trouble than they were worth. And many utilities argued it wasn't their responsibility to remove the whole pipe. Many local governments — backed up by court rulings — have deemed the section of service lines that run under private property to be the responsibility of homeowners.
In 1991, the EPA tried for a compromise in the form of the Lead and Copper Rule, the same regulations set to be revised this summer.
The rule allows utilities to replace lead service lines only as a last resort. At first, the utility can simply monitor and treat the water to prevent it from picking up lead as it travels through the pipes.
The key to this approach is testing. Utilities are required to sample water from the kitchen tap regularly in customers' homes. If the lead levels exceed 15 parts per billion in more than 10 percent of tested homes — referred to as the "action level" — the utility has to be more vigilant. To start, that means testing more often and increasing anti-corrosion measures, like chemical treatments that can build up into a protective coating inside the pipes. If the lead levels still don't come down, only then must the utility consider pipe replacements.