The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking input from state and local officials on a potential revision of the federal rule regulating lead and copper in drinking water.
In a letter sent out Thursday morning, EPA head Scott Pruitt invited state officials to agency headquarters next month to discuss the Lead and Copper Rule, which was established in 1991.
The EPA has been working on potential changes to the rule for years, but pressure to revise the rule increased after the Flint water crisis began in 2014, when cost-cutting measures resulted in dangerously elevated levels of lead—a known neurotoxin—in the residential water supply for the Michigan town.
Rick Snyder, Michigan’s governor, has called the current federal standards "dumb and dangerous."
"Despite lead contaminated sites being an environmental threat to our country, EPA has not updated the Lead and Copper Rule in decades," Pruitt said in a statement.
"In keeping with our commitment to cooperative federalism, EPA is seeking input from state stakeholders on proposed revisions to properly address lead and ensure communities have access to safe drinking water."
Potential revisions laid out by the Obama-era EPA include replacing lead water pipes, acquiring better corrosion control technology, and implementing more rigorous sampling standards.
But, ultimately, any changes that are made to the rule are likely to lead to higher compliance costs for state and local governments.

Tasaduq Hussain Kupwara: Internet and latest gadgets have entered these remote villages of Kabab Marag, Hayen, Check pati and Poonchi Mohallah of North Kashmir’s Kupwara district but majority of the residents here do not have access to proper drinking water.
Located around 12 km from the Kupwara town, people of these villages have to wait in long queues for portable water as few tube wells have been made functional in these areas.
Hundreds of families are living in these areas and authorities concerned have failed to rise to the occasion while the villagers blame the local elected representatives of people.
“There are only a few hand pumps in the village which stop working in summer months,” Bashir Ahmad Khan, a resident of the village, told The INS.
“The only option we have is to dig pits and draw water using a small vessel and fill bigger cans.
Majority of the village depends on this murky water in the pits,” he said.
Many use motorcycles to carry home cans of water and people living in Kabab Marag, Hayen, Check pati and Poonchi Mohallah carry pots on their head.
“With no other option we use this water.
We filter the water once or twice at home and use it for drinking and other household purposes”, said a local Ruksana Bano.
Executive Engineer, Public Health Engineering (PHE) Kupwra, Farooq Ahmad told INS that he in field checkup with Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara and will be available later for his comments over the issue.

The war of words over the Hamilton Conservation Authority’s move to limit public access to a popular Ancaster artesian well is boiling over, with hints of legal action against a group of diehard opponents.
It’s not true," Ferguson said before agreeing to defer any discussion of legal action to a private session later in the meeting.
Save Our Spring is the remnant of an original group of the same name formed to fight the authority’s initial plan to close the well because the water’s arsenic levels are above a new limit of 10 parts per billion that takes effect on Jan. 1.
Save Our Spring member Joanne Turnell, author of the letter that raised Ferguson’s ire, said the councillor is being singled out because he came up with a solution she believes is opposed by an "overwhelming majority" in the community.
Turnell said Save Our Spring believes all that’s needed is a sign warning of the water’s higher arsenic levels.
That’s a view also being put forward by a second group fighting the access restrictions, known as Protect Ancaster Wells.
"The fence is illegal.
Whether he likes that or not, that’s the truth and that’s not slanderous."
"It has to be restricted public access and the way we came up with that is fencing and a swipe-card system," Burnside said.
"People sign a waiver acknowledging they realize the water’s not tested and will exceed arsenic limits come Jan.

The war of words over the Hamilton Conservation Authority’s move to limit public access to a popular Ancaster artesian well is boiling over, with hints of legal action against a group of diehard opponents.
It’s not true,” Ferguson said before agreeing to defer any discussion of legal action to a private session later in the meeting.
Save Our Spring is the remnant of an original group of the same name formed to fight the authority’s initial plan to close the well because the water’s arsenic levels are above a new limit of 10 parts per billion that takes effect on Jan. 1.
Save Our Spring member Joanne Turnell, author of the letter that raised Ferguson’s ire, said the councillor is being singled out because he came up with a solution she believes is opposed by an “overwhelming majority” in the community.
Turnell said Save Our Spring believes all that’s needed is a sign warning of the water’s higher arsenic levels.
That’s a view also being put forward by a second group fighting the access restrictions, known as Protect Ancaster Wells.
“If my councillor wants to take me to court for challenging his decisions, then I’m up for that,” Turnell said.
“The fence is illegal.
“It has to be restricted public access and the way we came up with that is fencing and a swipe-card system,” Burnside said.
“People sign a waiver acknowledging they realize the water’s not tested and will exceed arsenic limits come Jan. 1.”

This year, we are once again supporting the non-profit organisation Viva con Agua with a Christmas donation.
The organisation builds and maintains water supply systems, enabling a constant supply of water, particularly to schools, public spaces and health centres.
This time, we’re sending the donation to the Chitwan region in Nepal.
This predominantly rural region is located southwest of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
Although the majority of the population in Nepal has secure access to drinking water, the conditions surrounding access to basic sanitation still pose a challenge.
Viva con Agua is actively promoting the need to maintain and continuously improve the existing water supply system.
True to its motto ‘ALL FOR WATER – WATER FOR ALL’, the Viva con Agua team is tirelessly working towards its goal of ensuring that everyone has access to clean drinking water.
Now more than ever, such aid is especially important for Nepal, a country that has been increasingly plagued by one natural disaster after the other in recent years.
After an earthquake in 2015 and the devastating floods this year, the overall situation demands a great deal of commitment from all those who wish to help.
With our donation, we will help Viva con Agua to realise and promote access to clean water and plumbing as well as hygiene education and awareness in schools.

Samples have been collected from Acacia Bay for testing for toxin-producing algae species, but weather has hampered monitoring work at other sites at Lake TaupÅ today.
Choppy water at five of six sites prevented Waikato Regional Council staff, with the assistance of TaupÅ District Council, from collecting viable samples.
Health warnings issued by the Medical Officer of Health remain in place for Five Mile Bay, Acacia Bay, the main lake front in TaupÅ, Whakaipo Bay, Kinloch Beach and Halletts Bay.
The algae blooms appear to be largely confined to the shorelines in the affected areas, however they may shift depending on water flows and wind.
Significant clumps sometimes break off and float free, collecting on the water’s edge.
On some of the south-eastern beaches there is a bright green lettuce-like algae that is harmless and should be left on the shoreline, because it’s an important part of the ecology of the lake.
On the northern beaches and at Halletts Bay, algae which washes ashore should also be left untouched.
As toxic algae can occur in other areas of the lake at any time, people are advised to make their own visual assessment of areas not included in the health warning.
More information is available by visiting www.waikatoregion.govt.nz.
All articles and comments on Voxy.co.nz have been submitted by our community of users.

BAITADI — Baitadi district is reeling under drinking water problem as most of the water supply projects in the district have become decrepit.
According to the District Water Supply and Sanitation Division Office, 87.69 per cent of the total households in the district have access to basic drinking water facility but the shortage of water is compounded as most of the projects are old.
“A survey of the drinking water projects in the district carried out in 2014 showed that 40 per cent of the projects needed to be repaired.
But the committees failed to carry out the repair and maintenance of these projects regularly leading to the problem,” Division Office chief Mohan Bahadur Kunwar said.
There are 1,185 big and small drinking water projects in the district and the consumer committees lack funds for their maintenance and repair, he added.
Seventy-two drinking water projects are being constructed in the current fiscal year.RSS December 2017
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President Donald Trump’s pick to oversee chemical safety at the Environmental Protection Agency withdrew his nomination Wednesday after bipartisan opposition made his Senate confirmation unlikely.
Officials at the White House and the Senate told The Associated Press that Michael Dourson had sent a letter asking his name to be removed from consideration to serve as head of the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.
North Carolina’s two Republican senators, Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, said last month they would vote against Dourson’s nomination after The Associated Press and other media outlets detailed his past work as a toxicologist hired to defend major chemical companies.
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In his letter asking the president to withdraw his name from consideration, which was obtained by the AP, Dourson said his stepping aside "avoids unnecessarily politicizing the important environmental protection goals of Administrator Pruitt."
Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said his staunch objections to Dourson’s nomination were never a matter of partisanship.
"I sincerely believe he is the wrong person to hold this important position, and it’s become clear that, even with a Republican majority in the Senate, he could not be confirmed," Carper said.
Dourson has already been serving at the agency as a senior adviser to EPA administrator Scott Pruitt.
The AP reported in September that Dourson has for years accepted payments for criticizing studies that raised concerns about the safety of his clients’ products, according to a review of financial records and his published work.

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) — Water distribution stations serving the McClellanville and South Santee area have been shut off, according to the Awendaw-McClellanville Consolidated Fire District.
This service has been provided by Mount Pleasant Waterworks for 11 years, free of charge.
Mount Pleasant Waterworks constructed and operated these facilities which provide residents in the northern portion of Charleston County with access to safe drinking water.
This summer, Mount Pleasant Waterworks was informed by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control that new regulations would require daily inspections versus the current weekly inspection.
This would have required Mount Pleasant Waterworks to hire a part-time operator, ultimately increasing the costs for a service being provided at no charge.
“The additional time it takes checking on these stations, created an additional cost to Mount Pleasant Waterworks far beyond the cost-effective,” according to Mount Pleasant Waterworks General Manager Clay Duffie.
Once Charleston County’s personnel passes the required operators certification the stations can reopen under the management of Charleston County’s certified operator.
In the interim, to ensure the residents have clean drinking water, Charleston County will provide a water buffalo starting on Thursday, December 14 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at Awendaw Fire Station 4.
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The funding, included in a $52.8 million supplemental budget bill, would pay for response efforts, lab equipment, water sampling and other functions.
Fifteen new state employees would be hired to help.
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Rick Snyder a month ago signed an executive directive establishing a PFAS team to coordinate response efforts among local, state and federal agencies.
The legislation won approval from a Senate committee and both chambers in a matter of hours, on a 33-4 Senate vote and a 109-1 House vote.
The spending bill also includes a provision allowing a planned new state veterans home in Detroit to be located outside the city, which drew criticism from Democrats.
Michigan has two homes now, in Grand Rapids and Marquette, but plans to build a new one in the Detroit area and to replace and downsize the Grand Rapids facility.
A third of the state’s 640,000 veterans live in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.
The bill includes $25 million for brownfield remediation and redevelopment, water asset management and drinking water monitoring.
The money would come from the $35 million Michigan Infrastructure Fund.