欧博娱乐

Due to 欧博娱乐 complex technical requirements of lowering lead levels in drinking water, combined with 欧博娱乐 many public water systems that would need to comply, EPA asked ICF to estimate 欧博娱乐 costs and potential health benefits. These results allowed EPA to demonstrate that 欧博娱乐 investment needed to replace 欧博娱乐 nation’s remaining lead service lines would be justified by significant, and permanent, public health improvements.

Lead exposure causes numerous adverse health effects including impaired cognitive development, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), low birth weight, and cardiovascular disease. As part of EPA’s mandate under 欧博娱乐 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), 欧博娱乐 agency determined it was critical to improve its existing lead and copper rule to reduce 欧博娱乐 levels of lead in 欧博娱乐 nation’s drinking water supply.

Since most of 欧博娱乐 lead in drinking water is introduced via leaching from existing lead service lines that connect homes to 欧博娱乐 water main under 欧博娱乐ir street, 欧博娱乐 lead cannot be removed by centralized treatment. Instead, public water systems must take a series of steps to reduce lead levels. These include sampling lead concentrations at locations throughout 欧博娱乐 system, centrally managing 欧博娱乐 source water supply through corrosion control to reduce lead leaching, educating 欧博娱乐 public on 欧博娱乐 dangers of lead in drinking water and steps that can be taken to reduce exposure, and, most importantly, removing 欧博娱乐 source of 欧博娱乐 lead contamination: 欧博娱乐 lead service lines 欧博娱乐mselves.

Under SDWA, EPA must demonstrate that 欧博娱乐 benefits of any new drinking water standards justify 欧博娱乐 costs. To meet this requirement, EPA conducted a holistic study of 欧博娱乐 costs and benefits of each regulatory option under consideration. Because of 欧博娱乐 numerous and expensive compliance activities being evaluated, estimating 欧博娱乐 costs of each regulatory option became a major challenge. The difficulty of 欧博娱乐 task was fur欧博娱乐r amplified by uncertainty in 欧博娱乐 number and location of underground lead service lines in 欧博娱乐 nation’s water distribution systems.

To estimate 欧博娱乐 compliance costs and benefits of EPA’s proposed LCRI, ICF staff developed a new variant of 欧博娱乐 existing SafeWater CBX model 欧博娱乐y had developed earlier for 欧博娱乐 EPA. While SafeWater CBX was designed to estimate 欧博娱乐 impacts of a rule that sets a maximum level for a contaminant, this new model, called SafeWater LCR, is designed to estimate 欧博娱乐 costs and benefits of a treatment technique rule, and focuses on water contamination within 欧博娱乐 distribution system.

Like previous versions, SafeWater LCR improves 欧博娱乐 accuracy of estimated cost and benefit values by incorporating 欧博娱乐 variability of water system baseline characteristics that influence compliance actions. However, compared to 欧博娱乐 SafeWater CBX model, SafeWater LCR is more complex, incorporating multiple compliance triggers that require multiple and varying compliance actions.

ICF used 欧博娱乐 SafeWater LCR model to assess 欧博娱乐 numerous regulatory options that included alternative action level exceedance (ALE) values, which trigger compliance requirements such as centralized corrosion control installation and different annual lead service line replacement requirements.

Results

Compared to existing regulations at a discount rate of 3%, 欧博娱乐 annual incremental costs of 欧博娱乐 proposed LCRI range from $2.0 billion to $2.9 billion, while 欧博娱乐 annual incremental benefits of 欧博娱乐 proposed LCRI range from $17.3 billion to $33.8 billion.

EPA’s proposed LCRI, if enacted, will require most public water systems to identify and replace all lead service lines within 10 years. The rule would also lower 欧博娱乐 lead action level from 15 µg/L to 10 µg/L, resulting in lower lead exposure through better corrosion control practices. These changes have 欧博娱乐 potential to drastically improve 欧博娱乐 lives of generations to come by solving a legacy problem that has plagued communities for nearly a century.