Days after the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency visited a Los Angeles public housing project with lead-contaminated water, the agency ordered drinking water systems nationwide to replace every lead pipe within 10 years. … But in Los Angeles — where the discovery of contaminated water in public housing in Watts has shocked officials — the EPA mandate is unlikely to result in immediate change.  When [EPA Director Michael Regan] joined Mayor Karen Bass on a visit to the 700-unit Jordan Downs complex this month, he suggested the brain-damaging element could be from household plumbing — a critical risk in older homes. It’s a possibility that highlights the difficulty of eliminating the threat of lead in California drinking water. Although the new EPA rule targets lead service lines connecting homes to water mains, it doesn’t address plumbing inside the building that can still pose a risk, such as lead soldering, brass fixtures and interior mains.

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