After the Flint Water Crisis, homeowners throughout the country have become more and more aware of the threat of lead in their homes drinking water.
Even if you do not live in Flint and your water company has recently passed compliance with the Lead and Copper tests through the EPA, it doesn’t mean the water in your home is safe.
This blog post will give you a couple strategies to better understand if your home is at risk.
Consult with your Water Company
One of the major factors of determining if your home’s water contains lead is whether or not your home is served water through lead service lines. What happens is that the water goes from your city’s water main and then is diverted in front of your home into service lines that transports the water into your home.
There are 2 portions of lead service lines that serve your home water.
- The first one transports your water from your city water main to your property line, which is owned and managed by the city.
You should be able to find out whether or not this portion is lead through your water company.
- The second one connects to the last service line and transports water from your property line to your home, which is owned by the homeowner.
If you don’t know if this portion is lead, you can hire a plumber to determine it for you.
The Age of your Home
In 1986, the EPA instituted a “lead ban” with the Safe Drinking Water Act which mandated significant reductions in the amount of lead allowed to be used in your water distribution system, plumbing components and solder.
That being said, if your home was built before 1986 it is much more likely to be served water through a lead-based system.
Conclusion
If your home was built in an area that was developed before 1986 and your home has not been updated with new pipes, you are most at-risk for lead in your home’s drinking water. This does not guarantee that you have elevated levels of lead in your water but it’s definitely worth checking out.
With Tap Water Watch, testing lead in home drinking water is just 3 easy steps. Learn more about how it works here, and get your home drinking water tested today.