LSLR Collaborative
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    • Getting Started
    • Legal Factors
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  • Replacement
    • Approaches to Replacement
    • Preparing an Inventory
    • Understanding Replacement Techniques
    • Communicating About LSLs
    • Coordinating Replacement
  • Equity
    • Guide to Equity Analysis
    • Coordination and Partnership
    • Defining Disadvantaged Communities
    • Equity Tools and Data Sources
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    • Requiring LSL Replacement
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​On August 4, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released guidance on conducting a lead service line inventory for compliance with the revised Lead and Copper Rule. The Collaborative is in the process of updating its materials to reflect U.S. EPA's guidance. Stay tuned for updated materials.

Preparing an Inventory:

Understanding Available Resources

Existing data can provide information necessary to build an LSL inventory. The tables below describe the benefits, drawbacks, and where to look for different types of data.  It is important to note that accuracy varies from place to place.

Lead service line installation

Sources
Description
Pros
Cons
Possible Locations
Installation records
​Records may be in the form of ledgers, cards, or databases; records describe the length, location, and construction material used for service line
Provides: a location, 
timeframe when installation occurred, and 
may include information on material
​Lead services are 30  - >130 years old; all or part of an installed line may have been replaced
Water system / municipal water department, municipal building permit / code enforcement department
Service card or ticket
Subsequent to installation, repairs or replacement activity conducted by the water system describe action taken
Provides: location, timeframe when replacement occurred, may include information on material
May require cross-referencing with construction practice at the time of service to determine materials used; typically limited to portion of service maintained by utility; retention policy for these tickets may be inconsistent
Water systems / municipal water department
Construction records
​Major main repair and construction project records will identify services replaced by those projects
Provides: a location and a timeframe when replacement occurred. May include information on material
May require cross-referencing with construction practice at the time of service to determine materials used; typically limited to portion of service maintained by utility; retention policy for these records may be inconsistent
​Water system / municipal water department, municipal planning department (new subdivision construction)

Plumbing permits
Water system or local plumbing codes may require plumbers to obtain permits to replace service lines
Provides: a location and a timeframe when replacement occurred. May include information on material
May require cross-referencing with construction practice at the time of service to determine materials used; typically limited to portion of service maintained by the customers; adherence to permit requirement may be incomplete; retention policy for these tickets may be inconsistent
Municipal building permit / code enforcement department, water system / municipal water department 

Construction practice

Sources
Description
Pros
Cons
Possible Locations
Utility construction standards and specifications
Water systems provide their own staff, contractors, and plumbers with standards for construction including service lines
Good reference:
informed practice by water system and plumbers
Retention policy for these documents may be inconsistent; limited opportunity
Water system / municipal water department’s administrative records;  governing body (city or town council, etc.) records
Plumbing code; local ordinance
State and community plumbing codes specify, often by reference, pipe standards and specifications
Good reference:
informed practice by water system and plumbers
Retention policy for these documents may be inconsistent; state plumbing codes are less likely to be useful than local codes
Municipal building permit / code enforcement department administrative records; governing body (city or town council, etc.) records; agency overseeing state plumbing code’s administrative records
Field experience
​Interviews with experienced water system distribution system field staff and plumbers active in the system’s service area
Can be used to: inform where to focus inventory effort and verify practice reflected in existing documentation; confirm absence of lead service lines
​Some communities may lack a long-term internal workforce or a local plumbing workforce; relies on memory of available field personnel; personnel interviewed are only familiar with the portion of the service line their work affected
Existing and retired water system personnel; local plumbing companies; local plumbers union
​​Summary notations of practice
​Reports to governing bodies, internal memoranda, purchasing records, annual reports, etc.
​Describes both water system and plumbing community practice
​Retention policy for these documents may be inconsistent
Water systems / municipal water department

Parcel records

Sources
Description
Pros
Cons
Possible Locations
Tax records
Municipal tax records provide a database that typically contains the date of home construction
​ Electronic resource; typically includes address, subdivision, building age, number of bedrooms / square footage (information that can be used to compare against construction practice to assess likelihood of a lead service line); typically map is available​
Requires cross-referencing with construction practice information from other sources; does not have information specifically about lead service line
​Municipal tax assessor’s office; centralized municipal government GIS office

Historical accounts

Sources
Description
Pros
Cons
Possible Locations
​Distribution system maps and record drawings
Should be a primary source of service line and connection information including materials, line sizes, and dates
​Useful indicating historical growth of system
​May lack desired level of detail, retention policy for these documents may be inconsistent
​Water systems / municipal water department
Capital improvement plans and maps
Historical CIPs can provide insight into historical installation patterns; current CIPs can be used to inform field investigations
​Useful indicating historical growth of system
May lack desired level of detail, retention policy for these documents may be inconsistent
​​Water systems / municipal water department
​Community planning documents and maps
Subdivision plots, planning reports, records of housing starts, types and placement of initial construction, and reconstruction / renovation efforts can be used to determine which homes were constructed during time period lead service lines were used
Generally available information
​Requires cross-referencing with construction practice information from other sources; may require a combination of historical documents to establish construction patterns at level of detail required
Municipal planning departments, regional planning agencies, public library, local historical society
​Newspaper accounts
​Changes in policy on topics of interest to the public, like lead, are sometimes captured in local media accounts
Generally available information
Limited potential for useful information
Newspaper, public libraries, local historical society
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The goal of the Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative is to accelerate voluntary lead service line replacement in communities across the United States.
Links to external resources do not constitute an endorsement from the Collaborative.
  • Home
  • Roadmap
    • Getting Started
    • Legal Factors
    • Funding
    • Plan Development
  • Replacement
    • Approaches to Replacement
    • Preparing an Inventory
    • Understanding Replacement Techniques
    • Communicating About LSLs
    • Coordinating Replacement
  • Equity
    • Guide to Equity Analysis
    • Coordination and Partnership
    • Defining Disadvantaged Communities
    • Equity Tools and Data Sources
  • Policies
    • Community Access to Funding
    • Helping Consumers
    • Requiring LSL Replacement
    • Engaging other Programs
    • Risk Communication Improvement
  • EPA's LCR
    • Key Terms
    • Key Requirements and Opportunities
  • Resources
    • Intro to LSL Replacement
    • LSL Replacement in the News
    • Child Care and Schools
    • Role of Public Health Professionals
    • Webinars >
      • Upcoming Webinars and Events
    • Case Examples
    • Filling Data Gaps
    • Recursos en Español
    • Downloadable Resources
    • Matchmaking Survey
  • About Us
    • FAQs
    • Feedback