HUD Needs To Improve Its Oversight of Lead in the Water of Multifamily Housing Units | Office of Inspector General, Department of Housing and Urban Development

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of lead in the water of multifamily housing units based on our goal of strengthening the soundness of multifamily housing. The audit was part of the activities in our fiscal year 2019 audit plan. Our objective was to determine whether HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing Programs had sufficient policies, procedures, and controls to ensure that households living in multifamily housing units had a sufficient supply of safe drinking water.

HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing Programs did not have sufficient policies, procedures, and controls to ensure that households living in multifamily housing units had a sufficient supply of safe drinking water. Multifamily housing properties were served by public water systems that reported levels of lead above the Environmental Protection Agency’s lead action level. However, HUD had limited requirements concerning lead in the drinking water of multifamily housing units and did not require multifamily property owners or management agents to take action regarding the potential for lead in the drinking water. These weaknesses occurred because HUD relied on the Agency to ensure that public water systems provided water that was safe to drink. As a result, HUD lacked assurance that households lived in multifamily housing units that had a sufficient supply of safe drinking water.

We recommend that the Director of Multifamily Asset Management and Portfolio Oversight develop and implement an action plan that includes sufficient policies, procedures, and controls that address households living in multifamily housing units having a sufficient supply of safe drinking water.

Recommendation	Estado	Date Issued	Resumen
2020-CH-0005-001-A		Agosto 21, 2020	Develop and implement an action plan that includes sufficient policies, procedures, and controls that address households living in multifamily housing units having a sufficient supply of safe drinking water. Such policies, procedures, and controls should include but not be limited to (1) developing and implementing internal procedures to be notified, and share with the owners and management agents of the multifamily housing properties, when the public water systems’ water exceeds the Environmental Protection Agency’s lead action level and (2) revising HUD’s applicable regulations, providing guidance to the owners and management agents, and taking appropriate actions so that households living in multifamily housing units have a sufficient supply of safe drinking water.

Recommendation

Estado

Date Issued

Resumen

2020-CH-0005-001-A

Agosto 21, 2020

Develop and implement an action plan that includes sufficient policies, procedures, and controls that address households living in multifamily housing units having a sufficient supply of safe drinking water. Such policies, procedures, and controls should include but not be limited to (1) developing and implementing internal procedures to be notified, and share with the owners and management agents of the multifamily housing properties, when the public water systems’ water exceeds the Environmental Protection Agency’s lead action level and (2) revising HUD’s applicable regulations, providing guidance to the owners and management agents, and taking appropriate actions so that households living in multifamily housing units have a sufficient supply of safe drinking water.