Penalties Await Water Systems Late on Lead Pipe Count, EPA Says

Water systems that fail to submit their lead water pipe inventories by an Oct. 16 deadline may face federal civil penalties, the EPA said Wednesday.

The Environmental Protection Agency this week issued a compliance advisory warning to drinking water utilities that they will face unspecified federal enforcement actions if they do not meet next week’s deadline to submit their initial count of lead water pipes targeted for removal by the Biden administration.

The inventories are required under a 2021 Trump administration rule. The Oct. 16 inventory deadline was carried over to the Biden administration’s final Lead and Copper Rule Improvements ...