One Mailer. 50% Response. A New Model for LCRR Compliance.
A few months ago, we partnered with the City of Verona, Wisconsin to test a simple question: What if identifying lead service lines didn't require 1,000 appointments or field inspections?
The Compliance Challenge
Utilities across the country are facing a significant undertaking. Under the EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Revisions and Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRR/LCRI), every water system must identify and document the material of all service lines. (The pipes connecting water mains to homes and buildings) The goal is critical: find and ultimately replace the lead and galvanized pipes that still deliver drinking water to millions of Americans.
The problem isn't the mandate. It's the method.
Traditional approaches rely on door-to-door inspections, mailed surveys, or excavation. Each comes with significant drawbacks. Field inspections require scheduling appointments, sending trained staff, and hoping someone is home. Mailed surveys typically see response rates of just 2–5%, meaning utilities often have to follow up repeatedly or default to more expensive verification methods. Excavation is accurate but slow, disruptive, and costly.
For utilities these approaches don't scale. Deadlines loom, budgets are tight, and staff are stretched thin.
A Different Approach
We believed there was a better way, one that put residents at the center of the process rather than treating them as barriers to it.
Here's how it worked in Verona:
We mailed 1,016 letters to property owners. Each letter included a QR code linking to a simple mobile interface. Residents scanned the code, followed brief instructions, and snapped a photo of their service line. The entire process took most people less than a minute.
From there, our computer vision model analyzed each image to identify the pipe material. For photos where the model had lower confidence, (poor lighting, unusual angles, or obscured pipes) human reviewers verified the results. The utility received a complete dashboard with all responses, formatted and ready for regulatory reporting.
No appointments. No excavation. No chasing.
The Results
The Verona pilot exceeded our expectations:
50% response rate from a single mailer, 10 to 25 times higher than typical survey response rates
94% AI identification accuracy, with human review bringing verified accuracy to 100%
Completed in under one month
Estimated $125,000 in savings compared to traditional inspection methods
These numbers matter, but what they represent matters more. Half of Verona's property owners took five minutes out of their day to participate in a public health effort. They didn't need a knock on the door or a scheduled appointment. They just needed a simple, clear ask and an easy way to respond.
Why It Worked
We've spent a lot of time thinking about why participation was so high, and it comes down to a few factors.
First, simplicity. Scanning a QR code and taking a photo is something nearly everyone already knows how to do. There's no form to fill out, no app to download, no appointment to schedule. The friction is nearly zero.
Second, immediacy. Residents could complete the task the moment they opened the letter. No need to wait for a callback or coordinate schedules. That immediacy captures intent before it fades.
Third, trust. The letter came from their city, explained why it mattered, and made clear that participation was helping protect their community's drinking water. People want to help when they understand the purpose and believe their contribution matters.
What This Means for Utilities
LCRR compliance isn't optional, and the deadlines aren't moving. Utilities need to inventory their service lines, and the traditional playbook of more staff, more mailings, more inspections is expensive and slow.
The Verona pilot demonstrated that there's another path. By leveraging technology and trusting residents to participate, utilities can achieve better results at a fraction of the cost. The savings aren't just financial, they're also measured in staff hours, compressed timelines, and reduced community disruption.
Get Started
If your utility or engineering firm is navigating LCRR/LCRI compliance and looking for a simpler, more cost-effective approach, we'd love to talk.
Residents don't have to be obstacles to compliance. With the right approach, they become partners.