Lead and Copper Rule Revisions

The Environmental Protection Agency has recently released updated guidelines for lead and copper monitoring for public drinking water providers throughout the country. The new guidelines, known as Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), require water systems to prepare an inventory of service line materials by October 2024. 

The service line is the piping that connects the home or business to the water main. The city and the property owner share ownership of the service line. The city owns the portion from the main to the water meter, including the water meter. The property owner is responsible for the portion from the meter to the point it enters the home or business, as well as all the plumbing in the home or building. 

The Lead Service Line Inventory (LSLI) is an inventory of every service line in the city’s water distribution systems. Each service line must be categorized as either Lead, Non-lead, Galvanized Requiring Replacement (if a galvanized service line was, or it is unknown if it was, downstream of a lead service line), or Lead Status Unknown. 

Sugar Land’s LSLI map can be found here.

Sugar Land’s LSLI was completed by conducting an extensive review of historical records to help determine service line construction materials. This review of historical records included construction and plumbing codes, city ordinances, county appraisal district records, capital improvement plans, water system maps, and all maintenance, inspection, and repair records pertaining to the water systems. 

In addition to the records review, Public Works staff gathered data on service line material through normal operations, such as repair and replacement of service lines and meters. Staff also utilized field investigation methods, such as excavation on both sides of the meter, to help identify unknowns where documentation of construction material could not be located. Field investigations were also used to verify the accuracy of historical records. 

No lead service lines were identified on either the customer-owned or city-owned portions of the service lines in any of the water systems. However, staff identified 110 service lines that are classified as Galvanized Requiring Replacement (GRR) in the City’s Main water system. All other service lines have been identified as non-lead.

For more information about lead and Sugar Land’s efforts to keep lead out of our customer’s water, read the FAQs below.