Environmental rules that would have forced cities to use lead-free fittings for new fire hydrants will now be withdrawn in the US. Politicians and manufacturers have protested that they are unduly expensive.
Legislation to reverse the regulations is pending in Congress, however the Environmental Protection Agency has said it will revise its guidance on lead in drinking water to exclude fire hydrants. The requirement was set to take effect at the beginning of 2014.
“Fire hydrants are not widely used as a potable source of water,” the agency said in an e-mailed statement. “The guidance should be revised to exclude fire hydrants if Congress doesn’t take action.”
The rule is the result of a law enacted in January 2011, the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act. The measure changed the amount of the metal allowed in plumbing components that contact water supplies from 8% to a weighted average of 0.25%, according to the EPA.
Cities and manufacturers don’t see hydrants posing a health risk, and believed they were exempt from the EPA rule until the agency’s Water Office on Oct. 22 issued a 14-page unsigned response to questions about the 2011 law and whether it applies to fire hydrants.
