1、 https:/crsreports.congress.gov February 12, 2014Lead-Free Requirements for Fire HydrantsOverview The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), Section 1417, broadly prohibits the sale and use of pipes and other plumbing components that are not “lead free” (as defined in the act ) for the installation or repa
2、ir of public water systems or plumbing in residential or nonresidential facilities providing water for human consumption. Enacted January 4, 2011, the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act (P.L. 111-380) amended the SDWA to revise the definition of “lead free” and to add new exemptions from prohib
3、itions on the use or sale of pipes, pipe fittings, and plumbing fittings and fixtures that are not lead free. In late October 2013, less than three months before the January 2014 effective date for the 2011 law, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued guidance subjecting fire hydrants to ne
4、w lead-free standards for pipes, pipe fittings, and plumbing fittings and fixtures used for drinking water. EPA had not previously subjected fire hydrants to SDWA lead-free requirements. Nor have state laws or industry standards applied to hydrants. Consequently, EPAs October 2013 guidance posed pro