The Lead and Copper Rule

Corrosive water can pull lead and copper from plumbing materials into drinking water. Public water suppliers are required to provide non-corrosive water to their consumers. Exposure to lead and copper may cause serious health problems. EPA published a regulation to control lead and copper in drinking water. This regulation is known as the Lead and Copper Rule.

The rule requires community and NTNC systems to monitor drinking water at customer taps. If monitoring results exceed certain action levels, the system must undertake a number of additional actions. If the action level for lead is exceeded, the system must also inform the public about steps they can take to protect their health.

• General Questions about Tap Water Lead/Copper Monitoring

Sample Site Selection and Approval

The sites used for Tap Water Lead and Copper Monitoring must be approved prior to sampling. Specific methods for sampling must be followed.

• Request Form for Tap Water Lead and Copper Sample Sites
• Instructions for Tap Water Lead and Copper Sampling

Monitoring Notification

After Tap Water Lead and Copper samples are collected, a public water supplier must provide a copy of the lead analysis results and information about lead in drinking water to the sample site consumers. Systems must also certify to ODEQ that the notification occurred.

• Frequently asked questions about consumer notification of lead analysis results
• Template letter to notify consumers at sample sites
• Certification of Lead Results Notification (to notify DEQ of consumer notification)

Action Level Exceedance

An Action Level Exceedance occurs when ten percent or more of the samples collected during a monitoring period contain elevated levels of lead or copper.

After a 90th percentile action level exceedance has occurred, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality issues a "Notice of Exceedance" to the public water system.

• Frequently Asked Questions After an Action Level Exceedance Has Occurred

The "Notice of Exceedance" lists the required tasks that a public water system must perform. An Appendix is sent with every Notice of Exceedance issued. The Appendix provides more detailed information about the tasks required after a 90th percentile action level exceedance has occurred.

There are four types of Appendices that may be provided. The Appendix received by a system after an action level exceedance depends on the type of exceedance, the population of the system, and the classification of the system.

• Appendix (Notice of Exceedance) for community system with a population of 3,300 or less.
• Appendix (Notice of Exceedance) for community system with a population of 3,301 to 100,000

• Appendix (Notice of Exceedance) for community system with population of 100,001 or more

• Appendix (Notice of Exceedance) for non-transient, non-community systems

For more information about Lead and Copper, please contact Sheri McGuire.