Lead and Copper Sampling

• List of Certified Lead and Copper Labs in Utah
• Sampling Procedure Guidance for Homeowners
• Sampling Procedure Guidance for Homeowners (Spanish)

Monitoring schedules for water systems

There are two types of monitoring schedules for lead and copper testing. Find your system’s Lead & Copper (LCR) monitoring schedule at waterlink.utah.gov.

Sampling season–When should you collect lead and copper samples?

Reporting results

In order for lead and copper results to be used for compliance, you must use an approved laboratory. Most labs will submit results to us for you. This is the preferred method. Just select this option on the lab’s chain of custody form.

There is no need to email, fax, or mail your results to us when this option is used. Simply retain a copy of the results for your own records. Results may also be submitted to [email protected].

• Starting in 2028, water systems will have 5 years to sample all elementary schools and child care centers for lead (see all upcoming lead and copper rule deadlines).
• Facilities which participated in our Lead-Free Learning program will be exempted from this requirement.

Reaching out to child care centers

We highly recommend water systems reach out to the child care centers they serve who have not yet sampled, and encourage them to sign up for our Lead-Free Learning program and take advantage of this funding while it lasts. We can pay for sampling and new taps or filters if high results are found. You can use this outreach template for that letter.

• View sample data for schools and child care centers which participated in Utah’s Lead-Free Learning program.
• Before November 1, 2027, water systems are required to send a list of their schools and child care centers to the Division at [email protected].

Calculating compliance

Sample results are evaluated against an action level. The lead action level is exceeded if the concentration in more than 10% of samples is greater than 0.015 mg/L. The copper action level is exceeded if the concentration in more than 10% of samples is greater than 1.3 mg/L. The 90th percentile is automatically calculated in our database, so you do not need to send your calculations to us.

Download the summary sheet and 90th percentile calculator (Excel)

If your lead or copper 90th percentile result exceeds the action level, contact us immediately.

How to take follow-up samples

Follow-up samples are highly recommended when initial testing results are above .013 mg/L for lead and 1.2 mg/L for copper. Follow-up sampling helps to confirm the presence of elevated lead or copper concentrations and gives information on the location of the possible source of contamination. Follow-up sampling consists of one or more repeat first draw samples, a flush sample, and a sample taken from the meter.

How to submit follow-up results to the lab

Follow-up samples should be labeled as confirmation samples (CO) as opposed to routine to not get mixed up with normal compliance samples. Additionally, in the comments section of the chain of custody form, each sample should be labeled as either First Draw, Flush, or Meter.

A confirmed 90th percentile exceedance or a history of high results may require a system to create a corrosion control program. This is a ten step process in which the water system and the Division work together to develop an individualized corrosion solution. The table below is an overview of the implementation process for the systems serving a population of less than 50,000. A similar process exists for larger systems.

More corrosion information: Optimal Corrosion Control Treatment Evaluation Technical Recommendations for Primacy Agencies and Public Water Systems

Customer Notification template

Each time a lead and copper sample is taken, the consumer must be notified of the results, even if the concentrations are low. Do this by downloading the Consumer Notification Template, filling out the results portion, and delivering the results to the consumer. In the case of the non-single family residence structure, meet the requirement by sending out or posting the results in a public space such as a bulletin board.

Consumer Notification Form

Certification of Notice form

Once customers have been notified of sampling results, you must submit a Certificate of Notice Form to us. You have until 90 days after the end of your compliance period to send us this certificate.

Certificate of Notice Form (preferred)

PDF Certificate of Notice Form

Note, this is different from the annual public notices for service line inventories requirement. This notice is only for residents who participated in lead and copper sampling. To help you keep these requirements straight, please review our Lead and Copper Notice Requirements Cheat Sheet.

New requirements for a lead action level exceedance

• Contact us immediately to report the exceedance. Contact our lead and copper rule manager, Dylan Martinez, at (385) 278-3807 or [email protected] or the Division Front Desk at (801) 536-4200 or [email protected] .
• Issue the public notice to customers within 24 hours after you learn about the lead exceedance. The requirements are listed below in the table.
• Send us a copy of the notice at [email protected]
  Send a copy of the notice  to the EPA at [email protected].
• Within 10 days of issuing the public notice, certify via online form that the notice met all requirements

Requirements for the notice

24 Hour Public Notice after a lead Action Level Exceedance (ALE) must include:

• What happened – You exceeded the lead action level.
• When the lead Action Level Exceedance (ALE) occurred.
• The mandatory health effects language: Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups. Infants and children can have decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposure can lead to new learning and behavior problems or exacerbate existing learning and behavior problems. The children of women who are exposed to lead before or during pregnancy can have increased risk of these adverse health effects. Adults can have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney, or nervous system problems.
• Whether alternative water supplies should be used.
• What actions consumers should take.
• What you are doing to address the lead Action Level Exceedance (ALE).
• When you expect to resolve the lead Action Level Exceedance (ALE).
• Contact information for your water system owner, operator, or designee.

Mandatory statement to share the public notice 

“Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.”

Delivery methods

Water systems must use one or more Direct Contact and one or more Broadcast delivery methods in the below table to notify consumers. We may select the delivery method required based on public health risk.

If you have any questions about this requirement, or about the Lead and Copper Rule Revision (LCRR), please contact Dylan Martinez at (385) 278-3807 or [email protected]

Community systems: copy this language into your CCR and fill in the brackets with your information:

How to create a lead and copper sample site plan

• Make a copy of the Google Sheet template and fill it out (alternatively, download the template and fill it out using Excel).

These samples are intended to be a measure of how the water in the system interacts with lead and copper plumbing components, so the highest priority sites are those that have both lead and copper in the premise plumbing. Use the tiering criteria on the Materials Worksheet page to select your sample sites. The Intro tab has recommendations on methods for determining which buildings in the system meet the highest tiering criteria.

Once you have completed the materials worksheet, email it to [email protected].

If you have any questions about the sample site plan template, please contact the Lead and Copper Rule Manager, Dylan Martinez at [email protected] or (385) 278-3807.