The American Water Works Association (“AWWA”) announced on August 15th that it is considering revisions to its Lead Services Line Management Policy Statement (“Statement”).
The revised Statement was approved by AWWA’s Technical and Educational Council.
AWWA is soliciting comments on the proposed revisions to be reviewed by its staff and forwarded to its Executive Committee.
The AWWA’s Board is the organization’s final level of approval.
The revised policy reads as follows:
The American Water Works Association (AWWA) is committed to protecting public health through the reduction of exposure to lead in drinking water. AWWA encourages communities to develop a lead reduction strategy that includes identifying and removing all lead service lines over time. As part of this effort, water utilities and stakeholders should work collaboratively to expand outreach efforts to alert property owners and consumers in properties with lead service lines about the risks posed by lead and the appropriate steps to reduce those risks. AWWA encourages water providers to maintain proper corrosion control. These measures are critical steps to ensure all people have access to safe and reliable water, recognizing that as long as there is lead in contact with drinking water, some risks remain.
AWWA supports the U.S. National Drinking Water Advisory Council’s (NDWAC) recommendations to reduce lead in drinking water through the complete removal of lead service lines and appropriate corrosion control measures. Support of the NDWAC recommendations underscores the importance of protecting the public from lead exposure through the development of collaborative community-based approaches to remove all lead service lines in their entirety. Effective lead service line replacement requires local solutions that successfully address the often shared ownership of these lines, the associated financial burden, and other barriers and risks posed for individuals and communities as a whole.
The American Water Works Association is the largest nonprofit, scientific and educational association dedicated to managing and treating water.
A link to the AWWA announcement can be found here.
The Between the Lines blog is made available by Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C. and the law firm publisher. The blog site is for educational purposes only, as well as to give general information and a general understanding of the law. This blog is not intended to provide specific legal advice. Use of this blog site does not create an attorney client relationship between you and Mitchell Williams or the blog site publisher. The Between the Lines blog site should not be used as a substitute for legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.