GREEN BAY - Local water systems nationwide would be required to maintain an inventory of lead service lines and test water in schools under a proposed initiative announced by federal officials Thursday.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler unveiled the new rules in Green Bay, calling it the first major overhaul of the national Lead and Copper Rule since 1991. Wheeler said the proposal would improve transparency, better protect at-risk communities and ensure water systems act sooner to curb lead levels.

Communities across the country have grappled with tainted water, but the issue gained new attention after changes to the water supply in Flint, Michigan, five years ago resulted in dangerous lead levels.

"President Trump is committed to ensuring that all Americans, regardless of their ZIP code, have access to clean drinking water, and today's action goes a long way toward fulfilling that commitment," Wheeler said on Green Bay's CityDeck, which runs along the Fox River.

Under the proposed rules, water systems would be required to create and maintain a public inventory of lead service lines and repair sources of lead when a sample in a home reaches a certain threshold. Local utilities must also sample drinking water at any school or child care facility they serve.

RELATED: Green Bay water utility making progress in replacing lead service lines

Water systems would need to notify customers within 24 hours if a sample from their home exceeds 15 parts per billion, which is considered an "action level" by the EPA. The proposal also creates a new "trigger level" of 10 ppb, which must prompt systems to find ways to reduce lead in drinking water.

Wheeler acknowledged that the proposed actions can be expensive and encouraged cities and states to pursue federal funding when necessary.

Some environmental and public health groups balked at the administration's proposal, calling it a "half-baked" measure that fails to protect children. A statement Thursday by the Environmental Working Group took particular issue with the administration's choice to maintain the current action level of 15 ppb.

"Instead of proposing a plan to protect children from the often lifelong damage caused by lead exposure, the Trump EPA is leaving communities to deal with the lead crisis on their own,” said Olga Naidenko, the Environmental Working Group's vice president for science investigations. "In the most powerful country in the world, it should not be too much to ask that our children can grow up in a lead-free environment."

The proposal will be open for public comment for 60 days.

Green Bay's efforts to eliminate lead in drinking water made the city a focal point for Wheeler's announcement, officials said. The city's water utility began replacing its 4,400 lead pipes in 1990 and has since cut that number to just over 300. The pace picked up after the crisis in Flint hit national news.

Dave Ross, assistant administrator for the EPA, credited Green Bay with identifying the problem, then developing and financing a plan that was well-publicized in the community.

"When I took a look across to the country as to who was doing innovative work, Green Bay popped up to the top of the list," he said.

Peter Frank of the Green Bay Press-Gazette contributed to this report.

Contact Haley BeMiller at (920) 431-8212 or hbemiller@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @haleybemiller.