Important Information about lead in your drinking water:
The City of Lexington is focused on protecting the health of every member of our community. The City recently (late 2024) conducted a survey and found a number of homes or businesses have a portion or all of the incoming water pipe contains lead. The pipe is called a Water Service Line (WSL), and connects the plumbing to the water main. There is no lead in the water that the City of Lexington delivers to its customers, but microscopic particles of lead can get into water when it passes through service lines and household plumbing that contain lead. Virtually all affected properties are on North Grant, Washington and Lincoln Streets, and nearby numbered side streets (see map).
Health Effects of Lead
Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause health effects in all age groups. Infants and children can have decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposure can lead to new learning and behavior problems or worsen existing learning and behavior problems. The children of women who are exposed to lead before or during pregnancy can have increased risk of these negative health effects. Adults can have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, and kidney or nervous system problems.
Steps You Can Take to Reduce Your Exposure to Lead in Your Drinking Water
- Run your water to flush out lead. If the tap hasn’t been used for several hours, run water for 15-30 seconds to flush lead from interior plumbing or until it becomes cold or reaches a steady temperature.
- Use cold water for cooking and preparing baby formula. Lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Do not use water from the hot water tap to cook, drink, or make baby formula.
- Do not boil your drinking water. Boiling water will not remove lead from water.
- Clean your aerator. Regularly remove and clean your faucet’s screen (also known as an aerator). Sediment and debris including lead particles from lead service lines can collect in your aerator and dissolve back into your drinking water.
- Filtration. Using a filtration system can reduce lead in drinking water if it is certified to remove lead. Filters must be properly installed, maintained, and replaced to ensure they remain effective at removing lead. For more information on home water filtrations systems, visit EPA’s website at https://www.epa.gov/water-research/consumer-tool-identifying-point-use-and-pitcher-filters-certified-reduce-lead.
- Use alternative sources of water for drinking and cooking. You may want to consider using bottled water or an in-home water dispenser.
Fixing the Problem – Proposed Replacement Line Program
Fewer than 5% of Lexington customers have lead somewhere in their WSLs. Sometimes it’s in the City-maintained (public) lines, sometimes it’s in the portion of the WSLs that is the responsibility of the customer, or both. The transition from City-to-Customer responsibility is called the Curb Stop. The City has been and continues to replace public lead WSLs whenever discovered, such as during a repair, and we will notify you when that happens. However, a few customers still have lead materials in their portion of the WSLs.
The City is developing a five-year plan to eliminate remaining public lead WSLs up to Curb Stops, and is working to obtain funding to help customers with some of the costs of upgrading their own WSLs. We have created this web page with information and resources for customers with lead WSLs, and will update it from time to time as relevant information becomes available. Meanwhile, follow the suggestions above and, if you plan on replacing your portion of the WSL on your own, please contact Assistant City Manager Dennis Burnside at 308-324-2341, ext. 1113, or [email protected].
Additional Information about your Water Service Line (WSL):
There are also a handful of customers who, in addition to the presence of lead in their WSL (maybe in the past), have a portion of their own WSL that is made from galvanized material. This is typically steel pipe that has been coated with zinc to prevent rust. While zinc is not a health hazard, it may absorb lead and continue to allow microscopic lead particles into your drinking water even after all lead has been removed. Therefore it is advisable to not only replace lead WSLs, but also galvanized lines.
On the map page all WSLs with lead OR galvanized materials are marked the same.
Identifying Types of Pipes
An experienced plumber or water system technician can usually identify pipe material on sight, but customers aren’t expected to have that expertise. They may not even know where to look. The incoming WSL may be inside, outside, in the lower level or a crawl space. In any case it has been installed from underground to prevent freezing. When lead or galvanized materials are found, it should be upgraded to copper or plastic. Usually even a novice can recognize these materials and, if that’s what you see, you probably don’t have anything to worry about. If the material is gray, it’s probably lead or galvanized. Old pipes tend to get dusty, or may have been painted, so you may want to use a coin to scrape off a bit of dirt for a better look. Also, lead is soft and easily scratched, which the coin scrape can show. If it’s clearly not plastic or copper and you want to be more sure, use a small magnet. The magnet will not stick to lead, but it will stick to steel. If the magnet sticks, you can also be sure that the steel has been galvanized to prevent rust.
This link, https://apps.npr.org/find-lead-pipes-in-your-home/en/#intro, provides a very user-friendly guide to pipe material identification.
For additional information about reducing lead exposure and the health effects of lead, visit EPA’s website at http://www.epa.gov/lead.
Thank you,
City of Lexington / Lexington Utilities System