Step 3: Where are impacts anticipated?

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​Part of an LSL replacement program entails determining where impacts will occur and understanding the communities in these locations. In this context, the most obvious affected areas are those places served by an LSL and places where construction will need to be done to replace an LSL.

​As described in the LSLR Collaborative's guide, Getting Started on an LSL Inventory, a service line inventory utilizes the best available information to describe where LSLs and galvanized service lines preceded by lead are located. The LSL inventory is an important input to the equity analysis. This data can be combined with information about community demographics and development patterns to help inform sequencing and prioritization.

​In comparing LSL inventory data with demographic data, the community can also consider whether the approach to collecting data for the inventory introduced any unanticipated bias or uncertainty (i.e., how it’s collected, who collects it, and what’s collected) that has a disproportionate impact on portions of the community. It can be helpful to undertake this analysis informed by and in collaboration with the work of others (e.g., the public, community equity officers, local public health agencies, local planning agencies, etc.).

​Local experts will be familiar with:

• Important patterns in historical development practices
• Current and anticipated distribution of children
• The neighborhoods home to communities of color and low-income households
• Patterns in distribution of social services (e.g., food, rent, heating assistance, etc.)​ ​​​

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This is a point in the process to consider the scope of the analysis to make sure that the tools at hand are appropriate to the task.
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• A smaller community or a community with only a few LSLs could complete the equity analysis through a narrative description or spreadsheet.
• A larger community, particularly one with many service lines of uncertain material composition or one subject to an active material investigation or replacement program may need to employ a relational database along with other tools.​ ​
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Many communities find that communicating about LSL replacements is facilitated by mapping. Again, the type of mapping solution should fit the scale of the analysis. There are digital mapping tools that can facilitate overlaying multiple layers of data and updating data over time. Digital solutions can facilitate community engagement and subsequent use of the resulting data to implement the resulting program. ​

Guide to Equity Analysis

​Step 1:
What activities does an LSL replacement program include?

Step 2:
What aspects of an LSL replacement program might have disparate impact and why?

​Step 3:
Where are impacts anticipated?

Step 4:
Who might be impacted?

Step 5:
How can adverse impacts be addressed?

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Continue to Step 4:
​Who might be impacted?  →