Skip to Main Content
CDM Smith logo
Five white bottles labeled 1 to 5 on a kitchen counter next to a sink.Five white bottles labeled 1 to 5 on a kitchen counter next to a sink.

1st and 5th liter sampling for lead and copper rule compliance 

Water collected in the fifth liter samples represents the water that has been sitting in a water service line outside of the house, whereas the first liter represents the water in contact with the faucet and interior plumbing. This video reviews the updated sampling process.

LCR sampling protocols require water customers to collect fifth liter tap samples. Water collected in the fifth liter samples represents the water that has been sitting in a water service line outside of the house, whereas the first liter represents the water in contact with the faucet and interior plumbing.

More resources on this topic

Two construction workers in safety vests and helmets inspect a road excavation surrounded by orange cones.
Insight

Preparing for non-lead validation under the LCRI should start now

Every water system will need to validate their non-lead service lines or obtain a waiver under the LCRI. Here's why the time to plan your validation study is right now.
Child's hand near a water fountain with water flowing, indoors.
Insight

School and child care sampling: LCRI requirements

What do water systems need to know about lead testing in schools and child care facilities under the LCRI? We asked environmental health expert Davida Judelson, MPH, to break it down.
A woman working at a desk with dual monitors displaying charts and diagrams in an office environment.
Insight

Find lead faster: shrinking LCRI replacement lists with data-driven tactics

Katie Deheer, data science expert at Trinnex, explains how data-driven strategies help utilities reduce uncertainty and plan more realistic, defensible replacements to comply with the LCRI.
Glowing digital envelopes on a dark background, symbolizing email communication.

Sign up for Lead and Copper Rule updates and more

Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know on regulations, recent projects and the latest innovations to tackle lead in drinking water.