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.

On Dec. 13, Brinks and six Democrat co-sponsors introduced Michigan House Bill 5373, which would establish a state standard for PFAS in drinking water of 5-parts-per-trillion (ppt), which is 14 times lower than the Environmental Protection Agency’s health advisory level of 70-ppt for two PFAS chemicals, PFOS and PFOA.
Brinks said the EPA 70-ppt advisory level — a non-regulatory limit that is not enforceable by law like a drinking water standard — isn’t as protective of public health as it ought to be.
"Maybe 5-ppt is not exactly the right number, but we need to start with sufficiently low number that were having a real conversation about actual health impacts with a specific level," she said.
A House Republican representing the Kent County area undergoing PFAS testing was more circumspect.
"Obviously, we rely on scientific evidence and the opinion of the EPA to give us direction in this matter and they have said 70-ppt — with an abundance of caution — is where it should be for drinking water," said Rep. Chris Afendoulis, R-East Grand Rapids.
The EPA advisory level may not be as health-protective as new research indicates it should be and doesn’t incorporate recent toxicology studies, say EWG scientists.
"The fastest route to ensure clean drinking water is state action, such as the legislation introduced by Rep. Brinks to set more stringent limits for PFOA and PFOS contamination of water," said Andrews.
"It is encouraging to see Michigan join other states — such as New Jersey and Vermont — that have set or proposed legal drinking water limits that provide greater assurance of safety than the federal health advisory levels."
At the Rockford townhall meeting, DHHS environmental health director Kory Groetsch said the health department uses the latest available science but said there’s still a lot to be learned about PFAS and how it affects humans.
The EPA level is "based on what we know now," Groetsch said.

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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KOCHI: Despite the excess monsoon and normal supply from the Kerala Water Authority pump house at Aluva, many areas in the city are reeling under acute water scarcity for the last couple of weeks.
Chittoor, Cheranalloor, Pachalam, Vaduthala, Edappally North areas are not getting water for nearly a month.
Karshaka Road in Vaduthala, Link Park area, Pachalam market, Darussalam Road, Kalathiparambu Road, Gana-pathy Temple Road have not been getting drinking water for several weeks.
Pachalam pump house is not able to pump enough water and the tail-end areas in the distribution network are hit by supply disruption.
However, according to KWA officials, there has not been any decrease in the supply.
“Though supply is normal from Aluva and pump houses at Thammanam, enough water is not reaching the distribution network,” said sources at KWA.
In the wake of disruption in water supply, Hibi Eden MLA has asked KWA to take immediate measures to resolve water scarcity in Ernakulam Assembly constituency.
Hibi has also urged KWA officials to take necessary measures in view of pipeline bursts in areas where Metro construction works are on.
Water supply to areas near Ernakulam south railway station, Kalathiparambu Road and Carrier Station Road was disrupted last week after pipeline bursts during Metro piling works.
“In the wake of frequent pipe bursts, KWA needs to consult with other government departments to effectively tackle such crisis situations,” he said.

The foam was used in training by defence staff at Base Woodbourne, in Marlborough, and Ohakea, in Manawatū.
Environment Minister David Parker said government agencies were investigating potential water contamination around Woodbourne and Ohakea air bases.
Parker said levels of two chemical compounds, PFOS and PFOA, found by the NZ Defence Force (NZDF), were above guidelines for groundwater at these sites.
"As a result, we wish to test the water of properties neighbouring the bases, to see if their water is contaminated," Parker said.
About 60 properties near the Ohakea air base, mostly dairy farms, could be affected by the contamination, a Ministry for the Environment spokesperson said.
The same foam had also been used at commercial airports.
The ministry was not aware of any having undertaken testing for contamination, but it would be talking to airport owners in the coming months.
Water for the farm comes from a bore on the property, but people do not drink from it, he said.
Rooney said the council was sampling its own water supplies to gather testing results, which would be completed in the New Year.
​The Defence Force hasn’t received new supplies of the foam since 2002.

ONE of Africa’s biggest financial institutions, Ecobank Zimbabwe, has pulled all strings to ensure that some local schools have access to clean and safe drinking water as part of its corporate social responsibility.
The bank donated seven drinking water tanks to the City of Bulawayo-run Sigombe Primary School in Nkulumane suburb during its annual commemoration event last Saturday.
Ecobank has on-going charity projects at the school where it also runs a scholarship programme that pays school fees for 10 pupils.
The financial institution, which has branches in 36 countries on the continent, also gave a special gift to Chitungwiza Hospital where it sourced $4 000 that was used to purchase various medical sundries and sanitation supplies.
Another charitable footprint was at Mutoko’s Mother Peace Children’s Home, which received groceries and is also set to get a borehole.
Speaking during the handover of the water tanks at Sigombe, Ecobank Zimbabwe head of commercial banking, Mr Johnson Mahanya, said their water and sanitation initiative was an annual feat that celebrates the bank’s entrance on the African continent.
“Every year when we celebrate Ecobank Day we unleash various projects in three centres in Mutoko, Bulawayo and Chitungwiza.
He said the donation to Chitungwiza Hospital was meant to help the institution cope with high demands for medicine and manage the water problems it faces.
Parents and guardians at Sigombe Primary paid tribute to the bank.
Ecobank Zimbabwe’s clean water and sanitation initiative comes at a time when the Government has called upon the corporates to work hand in glove with communities to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Government’s inquiry into the Havelock North water contamination outbreak has recommended to make it mandatory to treat all public drinking water supplies in New Zealand, and has called for a dedicated drinking water regulator to be established.
The report on the second stage of the inquiry into the gastro outbreak in Havelock North last year, when more than a third of the town’s 14,000 people become sick from contaminated drinking water, was released yesterday.
It also called for the current drinking water team within the Ministry of Health to be dismantled and replaced by a Drinking Water Regulation Establishment Unit.
"Pending such changes, the Ministry of Health should, through the DWAs and medical officers of health, take immediate steps to enforce the current law in the hope the recalcitrant water suppliers will be called to account before it is too late to prevent another outbreak of waterborne disease," the report said.
The inquiry panel said the failure to provide safe drinking water in Havelock North was not limited to the Hastings District Council.
It noted that while water in Auckland and Wellington was safe to drink, elsewhere at least 721,000 Kiwis were drinking water that was "not demonstrably safe".
The report pointed to a number of submissions that highlighted that some communities were opposed to treatment, particularly chlorination, which was perceived to produce adverse taste and odour effects.
On the matter of taste and odour concerns, several experts said this perception arose because consumers of untreated water often only experienced a chlorinated supply when contamination had recently occurred and the system was dosed at a much higher level than usual.
"Taste and odour problems will be minimal or non-existent in a properly run and stabilised chlorination system.
The Government had written to mayors and DHBs around the country, urging them to check water supplies as it urgently considered the inquiry’s recommendations, including setting up an independent drinking water regulator.

In the latest step toward the effort by dentists and health officials to end San Jose’s status as the largest city in America without fluoride in its drinking water, Santa Clara County has contributed $1 million to add fluoride for the first time to drinking water from wells operated by the San Jose Water Company.
On Tuesday, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to spend $1,027,713 from the county general fund to help install fluoridation equipment on six new wells being constructed by San Jose Water Company for customers of East San Jose.
The Health Trust will contribute $694,757 toward the $1.7 million project — $180,900 came from the city of San Jose.
Hansen said the Health Trust will continue raising money to expand fluoride to other wells in the years ahead, a strategy supported by Santa Clara County Health Officer Sara Cody, the California Dental Association, Silicon Valley Leadership Group and others.
Overall, San Jose Water has 108 wells at 27 locations in Santa Clara County, and the six wells at the new site at McLaughlin Avenue will be the first to have fluoride added.
Studies by the Health Trust have concluded it would cost $23 million to connect fluoridation equipment to all 108 wells owned by San Jose Water, or $12 million for all the wells serving East San Jose.
Santa Clara County has set aside $4 million for fluoridation projects.
In 1964, San Jose voters approved adding fluoride to city water by a 59-41 percent margin.
Fluoridation advocates won a major victory in 2011 when the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the county’s water wholesaler, voted to add fluoride at its three drinking water treatment plants.
But people who receive groundwater from San Jose Water company have not had fluoride.

While Auckland and Wellington residents are drinking safe water, 20 per cent of the country – over 700,000 New Zealanders and countless more tourists – are at risk of drinking potentially unsafe water.
The Government is moving urgently to address the issue and is likely to set up an independent body to oversee safe drinking water, while also considering sanctions for failing to supply safe drinking water.
Universal treatment is one recommendation of a Government inquiry, released yesterday , into the outbreak of water-borne disease in Havelock North last year, which saw a third of the 15,000 residents fall sick and was linked to three deaths.
The inquiry slammed local councils and the Health Ministry – which are usually responsible for safe drinking water – detailing "widespread systemic failure" and inept enforcement that failed to improve, even after the Havelock North crisis.
It has prompted outrage, with Green’s co-leader James Shaw calling it a "disgrace" and "unconscionable" that New Zealanders could fall sick or even die from drinking tap water.
Health Minister David Clark sought to allay public fears, saying that the water people are drinking today is the same as they were drinking yesterday.
Parker said the Ministry of Health, as well as local authorities, had "effectively failed" New Zealanders.
Christchurch is the largest New Zealand city to have unchlorinated water, drawn from aquifers and piped directly to homes.
Punakaiki, for example, sees 500,000 tourists a year and is a permanent "boil water" notice.
"The inquiry considers such a limp response does not go nearly far enough," the report said.

Water filter project improving health, supporting women’s leadership, and safeguarding environment Photos by Joel Lukhovi | Survival Media Agency Most people in the district of Gomba, Uganda, don’t have access to clean water.
Today almost 800 children have access to clean water; 45 women have been trained on how to build biosand filters in their schools and homes.
The schools are a big consumer of firewood, and so having the biosand filters helps us keep our trees.
To learn more about the Uganda Women’s Water Initiative project, scroll through the photos below.
“Now that the worry is lowered, we have time to concentrate on other activities that can generate more income for our families.
Before, the school boiled water for the children every day.
“It was mostly diarrhea or typhoid, and I would get sick at least once every term.” Using a second grant from Global Greengrants Fund, Uganda Women’s Water Initiative build a brick water tank at Bukandula Parents Primary School.
Not only does the soap reduce the spread of disease among the children, but the women also sell it for income.
The training from Uganda Women’s Water Initiative has taught us skills that have helped us get access to clean water, and my children’s health has improved.
My children are in better school; I can make more income.