ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the Lead and Copper Rule, which has the most implications for environmental investigations and remediations among the rules promulgated under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The SDWA requires public water systems, defined as those systems that provide piped drinking water to at least 25 persons or 15 service connections for at least 60 days per year, to test the drinking water for a variety of contaminants at least annually. Lead is one of the most prevalent drinking water problems in the western world. The SDWA established a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 15 micrograms per liter for lead in drinking water and 1,300 micrograms per liter for copper in drinking water. Some states have lower MCLs for lead and copper in drinking water. To conduct a lead-in-drinking-water investigation, one must first understand the potential sources of lead in a drinking water system.
