Utilities Embracing Innovations and Best-Practices

When water utilities lead the charge to replace lead pipes, communities see real progress. Utilities play a crucial role in replacing lead pipes and safeguarding public health.

7 Key Principles for Water Utilities to Act on Lead Pipe Replacement

Seven key principles can determine the success of any lead service line replacement program. Each offers actions, tools, and resources to support utilities at any stage. Flexibility, continuous improvement, and community engagement help accelerate replacements and ensure safe, reliable, and affordable drinking water for all.

Get started by exploring each of these principles:

Optimize Inventories and Data Collection

Define the scope of the problem by locating and documenting lead pipes in your system.

Make a Financial Plan

Develop a thoughtful, long-term funding and financing plan to ensure adequate funding for full lead pipe replacement.

Embrace Innovative Strategies and Technologies

Explore new approaches to boost the efficiency of your replacement program.

Involve Your Community in Decision Making

Increase participation by engaging your community in dialogue and decision-making.

Expand Access to Clean Drinking Water for All

Address the disproportionate impacts of lead exposure.

Grow a Skilled Workforce and Contractor Base

Boost the health and economic impacts of lead pipe replacement for your community.

Monitor Progress and Increase Efficiency

Verify the quality of contractor work and ensure long-term sustainability.

Highlighting Water Utility Action

Water utilities across the country are taking action to successfully remove lead pipes and ensure their community has access to safer drinking water.

Will Pickering

CEO, Pittsburgh Water

“By addressing this legacy issue that our customers inherited, we have shown that utilities can and should work to improve the quality of life for its customers. In our eighth year of lead service line replacement in Pittsburgh, we are grateful for the trust this work has helped to build in the community.”

Racquel Vaske

General Manager, Saint Paul Regional Water Services

“The first thing to learn about LSLR Projects is that they differ greatly from most other projects due to the need to enter private homes. A project to replace 100 LSLRs should be considered 100 mini projects, each with their own nuances and challenges.”

Andrea Yang

Interim Executive Director, Greater Cincinnati Water Works

“By implementing a robust community outreach program, we’ve worked to provide information and answer questions about how customers can protect themselves from the risk of lead water service lines in a way that’s easily understandable and can alleviate their fears. We’ve successfully increased participation in our lead pipe removal program from 40% to 90%. Building trust of residents has been essential as some residents are leery of letting us do work on their property.”

Share your success, and help inspire others!

Did you know?

Replacing lead pipes helps avoid costly public health crises

Proactively replacing lead service lines prevents expensive crisis responses, like bottled water distribution, emergency communications, lawsuits, and lost public trust.

There’s a federal 10-year mandate to replace lead pipes

The US EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule requires all lead pipes to be replaced within a decade. Has your community started?

9.2 million lead pipes are still in use

Millions of homes still get water through toxic lead pipes. Replacing them is essential to ensure safe drinking water and protect public health.

Replacing lead pipes saves billions in water loss

Aging lead pipes leak. Replacing these leaky pipes saves billions by preventing water losses and reducing maintenance, as demonstrated by an Ohio Environmental Council analysis that found the state could save up to $82 billion by replacing all lead pipes in 15 years.