Lead & Drinking Water

The Federal Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) requires monitoring at consumer taps to identify levels of lead in drinking water that may be a result of corrosion of lead-bearing components in a public water system’s distribution system or household plumbing. These samples help assess the need for, or the effectiveness of, corrosion control treatment.

We were required to identify and sample water from high-risk homes, those that include one or more of the following:

  • House contains copper pipes with lead solder installed after 1982 and before the ban of lead solder in potable water systems in 1986;
  • House contains lead pipes; or
  • House has a lead service line.

Based on the test results since the start of the program in the early 1990s, the compliance program requires us to monitor 50 sites. We have consistently monitored more than the required number of sites. The results of the last three rounds of sampling show that the levels of lead in water are consistently below the Environmental Protection Agency’s Action Level of 0.015 milligrams per liter. An Action Level is the concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements that a water system must follow. It is not a health-based goal.

Residential Lead Testing for Compliance Results for Years: