Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

A federal law enacted in 1974 to safeguard public health by regulating the nation’s public drinking water supply. The SDWA authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set and enforce national standards for drinking water quality, oversee state and local drinking water programs, and establish funding mechanisms, such as the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), to support infrastructure improvements.

« Back to Glossary
Share
Recent Resources
Copper lines

Requiring LSL Replacement WhenOpportunities Arise

Columbus Skyline

H2Ohio Invests $500,000 in Columbus to Replace Lead Lines at Childcare Facilities

Wausau celebrated its 1,000th lead service line replacement after completing the milestone in just over one year.

City of Wausau and Community Infrastructure Partners Celebrate 1,000th Lead Service Line Replacement, Set National Model for Lead-Free Future

Milwaukee is one of the few cities in the country with a prioritization plan to ensure neighborhoods likely to suffer the most severe impacts from lead poisoning get their pipes replaced first. In consultation with a community-based group, Coalition for Lead Emergency (COLE), and following a public engagement process, Milwaukee included in an ordinance three indicators to prioritize where LSLs will be removed first:

  1. The area deprivation index (ADI), which is a compilation of social determinants of health
  2. The percentage of children found to have elevated lead levels in their blood when tested for lead poisoning
  3. The density of lead service lines in the neighborhood.

Read more here.