Global Recognition for Climate Resilient Safe Drinking Water Infrastructure Planning

The project is implemented by Environmental & Public Health International in the United States of America and is available globally. It began in 2025 and is ending in 2035.

Environmental & Public Health International (EPHI) has achieved global recognition for its UNEP-endorsed Lead Service Line Replacement Cost Calculator (LSLRCC), a free, multilingual tool advancing safe and sustainable drinking water infrastructure planning. Through institutional partnerships and inclusion in major UN, scientific, and planning networks, EPHI strengthens outreach, awareness, and access to data-driven water safety planning across refugee-hosting and vulnerable regions.

The aim of the project is to promote institutional recognition and outreach for EPHI’s UNEP-recognized Lead Service Line Replacement Cost Calculator (LSLRCC), enabling its use as a global public good. The goal is to strengthen partnerships, policy integration, and access to safe, lead-free, and climate-resilient water infrastructure planning in refugee-hosting and vulnerable communities.

Main activities of the Good Practice

Environmental & Public Health International (EPHI) developed the Lead Service Line Replacement Cost Calculator (LSLRCC) as a free, multilingual, web-based tool to support data-driven planning for replacing toxic lead service lines and advancing climate-resilient drinking water infrastructure.

Since April 2025, EPHI has engaged in targeted outreach and technical cooperation, resulting in broad institutional recognition across UN, humanitarian, academic, and professional networks. The LSLRCC has been recognized or featured by:

• United Nations leaders and initiatives: UNEP, UNIDO, UNESCO, UN Global Compact Water Action Hub, UNEP Sustainable Infrastructure Tools Navigator, and the UN Decade Playbook
• Global policy and financial institutions: World Bank and TNFD
• Humanitarian and community leaders: ALNAP Humanitarian Action, NACDI, CLASH CLE, and River Network
• Scientific and professional organizations: American Water Works Association, American Planning Association (Colorado, Hawai‘i, and Washington Chapters), and the American Society of Landscape Architects
• Academic and research leaders: Harvard, Yale, Duke, and Boston University

This recognition amplifies outreach and implementation of the LSLRCC in global contexts, helping humanitarian and municipal planners integrate safe water access and pollution prevention into resilience strategies.

Aligned with SDGs 3, 6, 10, 11, and 13, this good practice demonstrates how institutional recognition can expand equitable access to sustainable infrastructure tools that directly benefit refugees and host communities.

Elements which helped facilitate the implementation of the good practice

Institutional endorsement and inclusion within leading international networks and platforms have facilitated global outreach. Recognition from UN agencies, national authorities, and academic institutions created pathways for adoption and trust, while the open-access and multilingual design of the LSLRCC enabled inclusive use across technical and non-technical audiences.

Partners involved

• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
• UNESCO
• UN Global Compact Water Action Hub
• World Bank
• American Water Works Association
• American Planning Association (Colorado, Hawai‘i, Washington Chapters)
• Native American Community Development Institute (NACDI)
• Harvard, Yale, and Duke Universities

What challenges were encountered in delivering the project and how were they overcome?

Challenges

Limited awareness and institutional visibility in refugee-hosting contexts.

How they were overcome

Through targeted outreach, UN recognition, and inclusion in global planning and humanitarian platforms, credibility and access expanded rapidly.

Results of the Good Practice

• Increased institutional trust in open-access water infrastructure planning tools.
• Broader access to cost estimation for safe, lead-free water systems.
• Strengthened technical capacity of planners in vulnerable and refugee-hosting regions.
• Enhanced alignment of local planning with SDGs and climate resilience objectives.

In what way does the good practice meet one or more of the four objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees?

Objective 1: Ease the pressures on host countries

By providing a free, multilingual tool for planning safe and climate-resilient drinking water systems, the LSLRCC helps host governments and municipalities model costs and prioritize investments efficiently, reducing financial and technical burdens in refugee-hosting regions.

Objective 2: Enhance refugee self-reliance

By supporting the planning of safe water infrastructure, the LSLRCC contributes to improved public health and community stability, enabling refugee and host populations to live, work, and thrive in safer environments.

Objective 4: Support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity

By strengthening technical and financial planning capacity for water infrastructure, the LSLRCC supports environmental health improvements that contribute to safe and sustainable living conditions in countries of origin and return.

Next steps

Engage prospective sponsors who share the LSLRCC mission to expand its visibility, credibility, and alignment across global water and planning networks.

Are there areas in which support would be required to continue and/or scale up your good practice?

Outreach to prospective public, nonprofit, and private sector sponsors who would align with the LSLRCC.

Anthony Ross, Director, Environmental & Public Health International (EPHI)