Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative 

Accelerating lead service line replacement around the country

Exposure to lead can harm brain development, contribute to lower IQs as well as learning and behavioral problems, and pose a particular risk to young children, infants, and fetuses. Nationwide, it is estimated that 6.1 million or more homes and businesses are connected to water mains by lead pipes. Safely replacing these lead service lines (LSLs) is complex and costly. On the heels of the lead crisis in Flint, Michigan, communities are increasingly grappling with how best to replace LSLs in a safe, equitable, and affordable way.

Recognizing that communities need policies, tools, and resources to assist with LSL replacement initiatives, RESOLVE cofounded and convened the Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative in 2016 with the goal of helping to accelerate LSL replacement in communities across the U.S. The Collaborative includes more than twenty-five national organizations with a wide range of expertise and perspectives on drinking water, all dedicated to removing lead from U.S. drinking water systems.

In 2017, the Collaborative released an online toolkit for LSL replacement that includes a roadmap for getting started on LSL replacement; practices and approaches to identifying and replacing LSLs in a safe, equitable, and cost-effective manner; information about policies supporting local efforts; and links to additional resources to support local LSL replacement initiatives. Since launching the toolkit, the Collaborative continues to support communities and stakeholders with tools, resources, and relationships as they develop and implement plans for full LSL replacement.

As the convener of the Collaborative, RESOLVE provides strategic leadership, process design, facilitation, and logistics support essential to aligning individual Collaborative members’ interests around a cohesive mission and action plan. As a key member of the Steering Committee, RESOLVE also helps set the Collaborative’s priorities and long-term strategic goals.