120Water, US solutions provider for lead reduction and drinking water programmes, is an inaugural partner in the new Biden-Harris ‘Get the Lead Out’ partnership. Working with the federal government and a coalition of states, tribes, local communities, water utilities, labour unions, and non-governmental organisations, 120Water will advance a shared set of principles and a commitment to accelerating lead service line replacement. Last week, its co-founder and CEO, Megan Glover gathered at the White House with representatives from over 100 organisations to commemorate the official launch of the federal programme.
“Every public water system has the same goal in lead and copper rule revisions (LCRR) compliance, yet each utility faces its unique set of challenges. As we have developed a deeper understanding of the hurdles ahead, we were able to develop solutions for utilities of all sizes and the state agencies.” said Glover.
“LCRR compliance is challenging in our rural communities, which represent a huge portion of our population yet are consistently the most underserved. Rural water is 120Water’s growing sector, and we are striving to provide solutions to small water systems.”
“During the summit a call to action from the vice-president challenged the leadership in the summit to fight against the status quo,” Glover added. “120Water has been doing exactly that since the inception of the company nearly a decade ago. Since its founding, 120Water has been bringing new technologies and services to water professionals across the country to help make their jobs of compliance and lead programme management tenable.”
Summit attendance continued 120Water’s growth momentum into the new year. The company reported an expanded footprint as utilities nationwide leverage its cloud-based software, kits and services to comply with the federally mandated LCRR. In 2022, 120Water increased its collaboration with utilities by 763%, debuted a new product offering, and strengthened partnerships at the state and national level.
“Lead pipe replacement and LCRR compliance is a big ask for most utilities, and it’s a long road ahead. The process will strain already limited resources,” said Glover.
“The funding framework created by the bipartisan infrastructure law (BIL) has alleviated the financial burden, enabling small systems to adopt the technology needed to comply with state and federal regulations. 120Water is proud to be a partner in that endeavour.”
Currently, more than 2,000 utilities across the country are utilising 120Water’s software platform to streamline their water programmes, representing a 763% uptick since December 2021. A foundational tenant of the LCRR, the lead service line inventory (LSLI) requires all public water systems to compile and maintain a location-based inventory of all service line materials by October 2024. The inventory is to be updated throughout the year, with annual reports sent to each state’s primacy agency and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
120Water’s offering, the public water system (PWS) portal and state dashboard — debuted at the National Rural Water Association (NRWA) WaterPro conference in September 2022 — were designed to align with EPA’s reporting format while configuring to each state’s specific reporting needs. 120Water is offering complimentary, individualised planning assistance for water utilities looking to better understand the requirements of LCRR and assess their readiness to comply with the new regulation.
