Case Study: a Tribal Consortium in EPA Region 6 achieves LCRI compliance and reduces unknown service lines with 120Water

Tribal Consortium, EPA Region 6 advances LCRI compliance for 100+ water systems with 120Water

A Tribal Consortium in EPA Region 6, which supports over 130 public water systems, partnered with 120Water to tackle the challenge of preparing for Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) compliance. They faced inconsistent records, low participation from operators, and limited technical capacity, which made creating a unified service line inventory difficult. The risk of entering 2027 with many unknown service lines posed a threat of costly penalties and mandatory replacements.

120Water implemented a trust-first strategy combining its platform and technical assistance. They started with a pilot program, used personalized outreach to build engagement, and consolidated all available records into their system. 120Water also helped secure regulatory approval for a statistical method to classify unknown lines and obtained federal funding for the consortium. The results included over 100 systems advancing their inventories, a dramatic reduction in unknown service lines, and the creation of a sustainable, regulator-aligned compliance framework.