HomeMy WebLinkAboutWATER SERVICE LINE MATERIALS INVENTORY UPDATEEPA Lead and Copper Rule Revision
Water Service Line Inventory
2026 Regulatory Compliance Update
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Bob Montague, Director of Public Utilities
September 22, 2026
EPA Lead & Copper Rule: How We Got Here
1991 | Lead & Copper Rule (LCR)
•Established federal requirements to reduce lead and copper in drinking water
•Required corrosion control treatment to reduce leaching from plumbing
•Required a new residential Lead Sampling program that Virginia Beach began in
1992
2021 | Lead & Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR)
•Required utilities inventory all public and private service line materials.
•Expanded public notification and lead service line replacement requirements
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What is a Water Service Line
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Lead Service Lines: History
•1800s - Lead service lines installed widely across the U.S.
•1930s - Many cities begin moving away from lead service lines
•1978 - Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC) prohibits lead
service lines
•1982 - Virginia Plumbing Code prohibits lead service lines
•1986 - Federal Law bans the use of lead service lines
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Virginia Beach’s Starting Point
•1963 | Virginia Beach incorporated with Princess Anne
County
•1970s–1980s | Major Growth
Much of Virginia Beach’s water system was constructed
during a period of significant City development.
•1982 | Virginia Plumbing Code
Lead service lines prohibited; departmental records
indicated lead lines had not been used for several decades
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Inventory Requirements
•Water Service Line Inventory
•Public Water Service Lines
•Private Water Service Lines
•Fire and Irrigation Service Lines
•Material Designations
•Lead
•Non-Lead
•Unknown
•Galvanized Requiring Replacement
•Justifiable Assumptions
•Date of Installation/Construction
•Representative Sampling
•Service Line Size
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Inventory Development Plan
•Guidance for Records Review
•Identified and Prioritized Potential Locations
•Established Lead Service Line Response Procedures
•Funding Strategies for Private Lead Service Line Repairs
•VDH LEAP Grant
•Public Communication Plan and Messaging
•Justifiable Assumption Recommendations - Criteria for
Non-Lead Classification
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Material Data Sources
•Historical Records Research
•Site Plans
•Utility Plans
•CIP Record Drawings
•Plumbing Permits in Accela
•Miss Utility Tickets
•CIP Projects
•WSL Investigations
•Vacuum Excavations
•Operations
•Meter Shop
•Maintenance Activities
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Public Facing Inventory Map
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What the Inventory Found
~135,000 Water Service Lines Inventoried
•Lead - 0
•Galvanized Requiring Replacement - 0
•Unknown - 0
•100% of service lines classified
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LCRR Wrap Up
2024-2026
•Published Public Water Service Line Inventory Map (Completed – 10/16/24)
•Met applicable customer notification requirements (Completed - 12/18/25)
•Conducted Water Service Line Inventory (Completed – 6/26/26)
•Preparing for additional LCRI requirements beginning in 2027
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What’s Next - Lead and Copper Rule Improvement (LCRI)
•Strengthens lead sampling and school/childcare requirements
•Lowers the lead action level from 15 ppb to 10 ppb
•Requires replacement of lead and galvanized requiring replacement
lines within 10 years
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What’s Next - Lead and Copper Rule Improvement (LCRI)
By November 1, 2027
•Update LCRI baseline inventory (Completed – 06/23/26)
•Record material of connectors when encountered during normal operations
•Establish school and childcare facility lead sampling program
•Update Consumer Confidence Report with mandatory EPA language
Beginning January 1, 2028
•Conduct required school and childcare facility lead sampling
•Implement revised residential lead sampling monitoring requirements
Ongoing
•Maintain inventory accuracy
•Continue corrosion control and compliance monitoring
•Meet public education, notification, and reporting requirements
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Key Takeaways
•Virginia Beach completed its required initial Water Service Line Inventory.
•No lead or galvanized requiring replacement service lines were identified.
•No service lines remain classified as unknown.
•Results are consistent with the City's historical records and development
history.
•Protecting drinking water quality remains a top priority.
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Recent Concern About Lead
•Council received a concern regarding potential lead poisoning
•The concern is being investigated
•Facts:
•For 3+ decades, the City has remained in full compliance with all state and federal
drinking water quality standards
•The city has no public or private lead service lines
•The department has never had an instance in which lead concentrations in water
samples exceeded the established Action Level for lead
•EPA’s current regulatory Action Level for lead is 15 ppb, based on the 90th percentile of
required tap samples and Virginia Beach has never exceeded that Action Level.
1590th Percentile
(9th highest result)
Lowest Lead
Results
Highest Lead
Results