Water & Sewer

A few homes in Canaan Village have plumbing that leaches lead into their water.

Advice if you have Lead

If lead is found present in your home, we will notify you.

Lead can enter your home from lead plumbing materials which can include pipes from the streets, interior pipes, faucets, fittings and the solder that holds them all together. If these fixtures become corroded they can begin to release lead into the water. Corrosion is most likely to happen when water has a high acid or low mineral content and sits inside pipes for several hours.

While homes built before 1986 are the most likely to have lead plumbing, it can be found in newer homes as well. Until two years ago, the legal limit for “lead-free” pipes was up to 8% lead. As of January 1, 2014, all newly installed water faucets, fixtures, pipes and fittings must meet new lead-free requirements, which reduces the amount of lead allowed to 0.25%. But that doesn’t apply to existing fixtures, such as what is found in many older homes.

Until you eliminate the source of lead in your home water, you should take the following steps any time you wish to use tap water for drinking or cooking, especially when the water has been off and sitting in the pipes for more than 6 hours:

• Before using any tap water for drinking or cooking, flush your water system by running the kitchen tap (or any other tap you take drinking or cooking water from) on cold for 1-2 minutes.
• Then, fill clean container(s) with water from this tap. This water will be suitable for drinking, cooking, preparation of baby formula, or other consumption.
• To conserve water, collect multiple containers of water at once (after you have fully flushed the water from the tap as described).

In either situation, drink or cook only with water that comes out of the tap COLD. Water that comes out of the tap warm or hot can contain much higher levels of lead. Boiling this water will NOT reduce the amount of lead in your water.

If the lead in your home’s water is from a pipe from the street, additional flushing is necessary any time you wish to use tap water for drinking or cooking, especially when the water has been off and sitting in the pipes for more than 6 hours.

• Before using any tap water for drinking or cooking, run high-volume taps (such as your shower) on cold for 5 minutes or more.
• Then, run the kitchen tap on cold for 1-2 additional minutes;
• Fill clean container(s) with water from this tap. This water will be suitable for drinking, cooking, preparation of baby formula, or other consumption.
• To conserve water, collect multiple containers of water at once (after you have fully flushed the water from the tap as described).

Children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to the effects of lead exposure. Therefore, for homes with children or pregnant women and with water lead levels exceeding EPA’s action level of 15 ppb, CDC recommends using bottled water or water from a filtration system that has been certified by an independent testing organization to reduce or eliminate lead for cooking, drinking, and baby formula preparation. Because most bottled water does not contain fluoride, a fluoride supplement may be necessary.

Advice for lead safe water practices after plumbing work in housing with lead water lines or lead solder. These practices include:

• Make sure that repairs to copper pipes do not use lead solder.
• Testing water after plumbing work in older housing. Please contact your state lead program for information about water testing in your area.
• Flushing water lines before using the water for drinking or cooking.