February 5, 2024 The Honorable Michael S. Regan

The proposed improvements to the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for Lead and Copper will drive progress by adding critical regulatory authority to the financial investments made through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the largest investment in clean drinking water in the nation’s history.1 While ambitious, the goal is critical to protecting the health of the estimat. [...] We support the proposed rule’s inclusion of a requirement for water systems to conduct full LSL replacements, including the portion of LSLs that fall on private property, between the curb box and water meter.5 However, the proposed rule does not include a requirement for water systems to cover the cost of replacing the portion of LSLs that fall on private property. [...] Reduce the allowable lead action level to below five parts per billion The proposal to reduce the allowable lead action level from 15 parts per billion, set in 1991, to 10 parts per billion, is a welcome improvement; however, with no safe level of lead exposure in drinking water, CAP urges the EPA to lower the acceptable level to between zero and 5 parts per billion, as recommended by public healt. [...] These should be done in alignment with the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics that water in schools should not exceed lead concentrations of 1 part per billion.10 The EPA also should encourage water systems to collaborate with local public health departments, medical providers, community-based organizations, and others to ensure that outreach and resources reach critical communit. [...] We recommend that the EPA invest in outreach, especially to agencies and water systems serving smaller rural communities and communities of color that are most exposed to LSLs and provide guidance for water systems to access these funds.