Richmond DPU outlines plan to locate and remove lead service lines; warns private‑side funding gap

Deputy Director Laura Bender Nagel and Director Scott Morris of the Department of Public Utilities gave the Government Operations Committee a detailed update on Richmond’s lead service line program, the regulatory drivers shaping it and the practical obstacles the city faces in finding and replacing private‑side lead service lines.

Bender Nagel summarized the health risks of lead exposure and described the service‑line inventory the department has posted publicly. DPU officials told the committee they have definitively identified roughly 2,000 lead service lines and about 13,691 properties confirmed to have non‑lead service lines on both sides of the meter; however, roughly 66,000 private‑side service lines remain “unknown” and must be identified before replacements can be scheduled.

Regulatory framework and deadlines

DPU staff reviewed three federal rule milestones: the original Lead and Copper Rule (1991), the 2021 Lead and Copper Rule Revision (LCRR), and an upcoming Lead and Copper Rule Improvements package (LCRI) that expansion of requirements and sample collection. Committee discussion cited the LCRR requirement to publish a public service‑line inventory and noted that LCRI will require utilities to locate and remove lead service lines within a…