Congress passed the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act in 2011 (the “Act”), with an effective date of January 1, 2014. In October of this year, the EPA published a guidance document providing answers to questions pertaining to implementation of the Act. Unexpectedly, EPA determined that hydrants must meet the reduced lead standards of the Act because “fire hydrants can be, and are, used in emergency situations to provide drinking water.”
We are not aware of any evidence that hydrants produced in compliance with existing law pose any discernible health risk from the emergency use of hydrants for temporary potable water supply. We support industry efforts to have fire hydrants excluded from the Act and greatly appreciate the ongoing communication between industry and the EPA regarding a resolution of the issue.
While we disagree with the EPA’s interpretation of the Act, we are committed to producing products that are compliant with the Act, and we currently produce and ship hydrants that are compliant with the Act.