Cleveland Utilities (CU) prepares for implementation of EPA’s revised lead and copper rule

Cleveland Utilities (CU) is actively preparing for the upcoming implementation of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Revision (LCRR). One of the key components of the revisions requires water systems to create an inventory of water service line materials on both the utility side and the customer side of a water meter.

CU has always placed the safety of the water supplied to customers as a top priority and has not installed any lead piping on its system since 1971 and possibly even earlier. Additionally, CU employs corrosion control treatments to create protective coatings on pipes and homeowner plumbing, which helps prevent lead from leaching into the water. For years, CU’s rigorous sampling has consistently shown no lead issues, meeting the stringent regulatory standards set by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and the EPA.

Although the revised LCRR reporting will not come into full effect until this month, CU has been diligently working on the water lines inventory for an extended period. Initial findings suggest that most properties in our service territory don’t have lead service lines originating from the utility side. However, there remains a slight possibility that some customer service lines in homes built before 1988 may still contain lead.

Cleveland Utilities will soon be sending additional communications, including a new section on its website with information about how the LCRR will affect CU and its customers as well as a link to the survey with detailed instructions. CU will need collaboration from customers to collect information about the material of the water service line at their residence to help us identify potential lead material that could be in our area.

CU is committed to providing clean drinking water to its customers. The water quality of CU meets or exceeds all federal and state water regulations. We are committed to maintaining this track record as we work towards full compliance with the revised LCRR.

We invite you to visit our Lead and Copper Rule page to learn more about lead, view our interactive service line map to find your address, and participate in our Service Line Material Survey.