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The Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) reduces risks to drinking-water consumers from lead and copper that can enter drinking water as a result of corrosion of plumbing materials. The LCR requires water systems to sample at taps in homes with leaded plumbing materials. Depending upon the sampling results, water systems must take actions to reduce exposure to lead and copper, including corrosion control treatment, public education, and lead service line replacement. The LCR was promulgated in 1991 and, overall, has been effective in reducing the levels of lead and copper in drinking-water systems across the country. However, there are significant challenges in the implementation of the current rule, including the rule's complexity; the degree of flexibility and discretion it affords systems and primacy states with regard to optimization of corrosion control treatment; compliance sampling practices, which in some cases, may not adequately protect from lead exposure; and limited specific focus on key areas of concern such as schools. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) intends to modernize and strengthen implementation of the LCR, strengthen its public health protections, and clarify its implementation requirements to make it more effective and more readily enforceable.