Getting Ready for LCRI: Your Guide to the New Sampling Requirements

We are happy to share some important information to help water suppliers prepare for the upcoming Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI). We know that regulatory shifts can feel overwhelming, but we want to make sure you have plenty of time and support to get your sampling sites ready. To ensure a smooth transition, all of your sample pool updates will need to be submitted by November 1, 2027, before the new LCRI sampling protocols begin on January 1, 2028.

For more information, visit the department’s Lead and Copper Rule webpage or email cdphe_wqcd_DWrules@state.co.us.

New LCRI Sample Site Tiers

The LCRI overhauls the sample site tier levels to target sites most likely to contain lead, while creating a single tiering framework for both community and non-transient, non-community (NTNC) water systems:

• Tier 1: Single-family structures served by a lead service line (LSL) or with premise plumbing made of lead.

• Tier 2: Buildings or multi-family residences served by an LSL or with premise plumbing made of lead.

• Tier 3: Single-family structures served by a lead connector and/or a galvanized service line (or containing galvanized premise plumbing) known to be previously downstream of a lead service line.

• Tier 4: Single-family structures with interior plumbing consisting of copper pipes joined by lead solder.

• Tier 5: Representative sites throughout the distribution system with other interior plumbing materials (e.g., plastic, or copper pipes with lead-free solder).

• 1st and 5th Liter Sampling: For any site with a lead service line, you must collect both a first liter sample for lead and copper and an additional fifth liter sample for lead. When evaluating your system's compliance, the department will use the higher lead result between those two samples for each site.

• Distribution System and Site Assessments: If an individual tap sample exceeds 10 parts per billion, systems must conduct a Distribution System and Site Assessment (DSSA). This includes follow-up lead sampling within 30 days, Water Quality Parameter Monitoring within 5 days for systems with corrosion control treatment, and submitting a recommendation to the department. The DSSA helps evaluate whether the high result is due to a localized issue at that specific property or points to a broader systemic issue with your corrosion control treatment.

• Faster Consumer Notices: The turnaround time for delivering the Consumer Notice of Tap Results to your customers is dropping significantly, from 30 days down to just 3 business days. Suppliers may deliver the notices via email. Alternatively, suppliers may call the customer, provided the written notice is subsequently mailed or emailed to them within 30 days.

When and how do we update our sample pool? 

Sample site updates are only required if your currently selected sites do not represent the highest risk sites (e.g., Tier 1) available in your service area. If your current sampling sites already represent the highest risk tiers available, you do not need to make changes to your sample pool.

Any water system with sample site changes will need to update their sample pool by November 1, 2027. Please make these changes directly in the drinking water Portal under the “My… Sample Sites” tab. The department will make Portal updates by Spring 2027 that will feature the new drop-down menus you will need to correctly enter your sites. We will notify you the moment the Portal is ready for your updates so you can log in and make those changes.

Keep in mind you will continue sampling according to your current, approved sample pool until 2028.

What is changing about the sampling process? 

The changes under the LCRI go beyond updating your pool of sample sites. There are also important updates coming to the physical sampling procedures, including:

How can systems get ahead of the LCRI sampling changes before 2028? 

We want to make sure you feel prepared for these new procedures, which is why we strongly recommend that systems with lead service lines start taking proactive fifth-liter samples right now. Please note that any fifth-liter samples taken before January 1, 2028, are not for compliance and will not be used in your 90th percentile calculations. However, by running a trial now, you can get ahead of potential challenges and ensure a seamless operational transition when the LCRI goes into effect. 

This is also the perfect time to start practicing the new 3 business day turnaround for consumer notices. Practicing both your sampling procedures and your communication workflows today will ensure your system is running smoothly when the LCRI starts. We are always here to help you navigate these updates, so please keep an eye out for more information as we get closer to Spring 2027!

➽ Bryan Pilson Technical, Regulatory Implementation and Coordination Unit Manager

Culture of Health Success Stories: Recognizing Our Wins: A Public Health Milestone 50 Years in the Making

Oftentimes, members of the public only consider their water access and wastewater treatment when something negative happens. If there’s a spill or if a barrier breaks down, etc. That’s why it’s important to highlight wins when we see them. 

Our common goal under the Clean Water Act, passed by Congress in 1972, is to have waters that are “Fishable, swimmable, and drinkable.” The work to meet this crucial goal continues every day in Colorado’s Water and Wastewater facilities, and facilities across the country.  

The work of water professionals is a vital part of public health, and we must celebrate the outcomes that enhance the quality of our water. We all work to promote the health of our fellow citizens, our local animal populations and the environment we all share. 

It’s for that reason that we wanted to share one of the biggest public health victories in the US from this last year: for the first time in five decades, the New York State Department of Health announced that people can safely consume fish from the Lower Hudson River. After 50 years of catch-and-release mandates due to severe PCB contamination, decades of rigorous remediation efforts, testing, and dedicated wastewater management have finally restored this stretch of the river to a fishable state.

• Read more about the recent advisory changes directly from the New York Department of Public Health. 

We also have incredible ecological and environmental protection success stories happening right inside our treatment facilities here in Colorado.

A prime example is the collaborative effort between local wastewater providers and the CDPHE Water Quality Control Division through the Voluntary Incentive Program (VIP). Excess nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus can wreak havoc on local ecology, causing harmful algal blooms that deplete oxygen, kill off aquatic life, and complicate drinking water treatment downstream.

Instead of waiting for strict regulatory mandates to force compliance, Colorado wastewater facilities are utilizing the Voluntary Incentive Program to proactively upgrade their treatment processes. By voluntarily reducing nutrient discharges early, these local operators are actively protecting the delicate ecology of Colorado's lakes, streams, and rivers while also ensuring safer, cleaner sources of drinking water.

Wins, like the Hudson River cleanup, and our state's proactive nutrient reduction, don't happen by accident. They result from continuous monitoring, facility innovation, and the daily dedication of water and wastewater professionals committed to their communities. It is a powerful reminder of why our work matters.

• Learn more about how Colorado facilities are leading the charge on nutrient reduction through the CDPHE VIP Program

➽ Joe Sturgeon, Clean Water (Wastewater) Coach, Local Assistance Unit