The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed improvements to its Lead and Copper Rule (LCR), which was been revised a few times since it was originally published in 1991.

Updates proposed in November 2023 that may be of particular interest to you include:

• All lead service lines are to be fully replaced (including sections on customer property) within 10 years.
• The lead level that triggers utility action will be reduced five micrograms (µg)/Liter to 10 µg/Liter.
• Water systems with three or more lead action level exceedances within five years, must increase public education efforts and provide all consumers with drinking water filters that remove lead.

It is important to understand whether you’re even at risk of being exposed to lead because it is seldom found naturally in water supplies. When lead enters a home’s drinking water, it usually is due to corrosion in lead pipes, called service lines, that connect some older homes to the water supply.

The use of lead and related metal alloys in service lines was banned by U.S. Congress in 1986, so if your home was built in the 1990s or later, lead is unlikely a concern for your home.

Below are some actions you can take to protect yourself and your family from lead getting into your drinking water, including some in AWWA’s Lead – Keep Your Water Safe brochure:

• Testing at the tap, which usually costs between $20-$100, is the only way to measure the lead levels in water at your home or workplace. You can’t see, smell or taste lead in your water.
• It is particularly important to flush the water from your tap when the faucet has gone unused for more than a few hours. It takes time for lead to dissolve into water, so the first water drawn from the tap in the morning or after a long period of non-use can contain higher levels of lead.
• Use only cold water for cooking or drinking. Lead leaches more easily into hot water than cold water.
• Boiling water DOES NOT remove lead.
• After moving into a new home, remove faucet strainers and rinse them to remove any debris. This should be done periodically to remove accumulated debris as well.