Lead in tap water: how to find it and what to do

Lead almost never comes from the treatment plant or the lake. It’s picked up on the way to your glass — from a lead service line (the pipe connecting the water main to your home), lead solder in older copper plumbing, or older brass faucets and fittings. That’s why two homes on the same street can have very different results.

There is no known safe level of lead exposure, and children under six and pregnant people are the most vulnerable. The good news: you can find most lead sources yourself and cut exposure dramatically for very little money.

What changed in the rules

The U.S. EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI), finalized in October 2024, set the next phase of lead regulation:

• The lead action level drops from 15 ppb to 10 ppb, with compliance starting November 1, 2027.
• Most water systems must replace all lead and galvanized-requiring-replacement service lines within 10 years of that date (roughly by 2037).
• Utilities must keep updated service line inventories and tell customers when they have, or might have, a lead line.
• Tap sampling now uses both first-liter and fifth-liter samples to better catch lead from service lines.

In Canada, Health Canada’s guideline is stricter: a maximum acceptable concentration of 5 µg/L (5 ppb).

An action level is not a health threshold — it’s a trigger that forces a utility to act. The health-based goal for lead is zero.

Step 1: Check your service line in five minutes

Find where the water pipe enters your home — usually in the basement, crawlspace or utility room, near the water meter or main shut-off valve. Then:

1. Look at the colour. Lead is dull grey. Copper is the colour of a penny. Plastic is white, black or blue.
2. Scratch test. Gently scratch the pipe with a coin or key. Lead is soft and scratches to a shiny silver. Galvanized steel stays dull grey.
3. Magnet test. A magnet won’t stick to lead or copper. It sticks to galvanized steel.
4. Check the utility’s inventory. Many utilities now publish a searchable service line map. Your inventory status also appears in the annual water quality report.

A pipe that is dull grey, soft and non-magnetic is very likely lead. Remember the pipe you see is only the house end; part of the line runs under the yard and sidewalk.

Step 2: Know your other risk factors

• Home built before 1986: U.S. federal law banned lead pipes and high-lead solder for new plumbing in 1986. Homes built before then are more likely to have lead solder or lead lines.
• Faucets and fittings bought before 2014: “lead-free” brass was redefined to 0.25% lead in 2014.
• Galvanized pipes downstream of a former lead line can hold lead that was absorbed into their scale.
• Recent plumbing work or a lead line replacement can shake loose lead particles for months.

Try our lead risk self-check to score your home.

Step 3: Test at your tap

A certified lab test is the only way to know your number. Options include:

• Free kits from your utility. Many utilities offer them, especially to homes on the inventory.
• State-certified labs. Search your state’s list of certified drinking water labs. Expect roughly $30–$75 for a lead test.
• Mail-in kits that use accredited labs.

For the most useful picture, collect a first-draw sample (water that has sat in the pipes at least six hours, usually first thing in the morning) and, if possible, a sample after flushing. A high first draw that falls after flushing points to fixtures and nearby plumbing; high results after flushing suggest the service line.

Step 4: Lower your exposure today

These steps work immediately, whatever your test says:

1. Use only cold water for drinking, cooking and baby formula. Hot water dissolves more lead.
2. Flush before use. If water has sat for several hours, run the cold tap until it feels noticeably colder — from 30 seconds to several minutes if you have a lead line. Showering or a toilet flush first helps.
3. Use a certified filter. Pick a pitcher, faucet or under-sink filter certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead reduction, or a reverse osmosis system certified to NSF/ANSI 58. Change cartridges on schedule.
4. Clean faucet aerators every few months — lead particles collect there.
5. Boiling does not remove lead. It concentrates it.

Step 5: Replace the line

Full replacement — both the utility side and your private side — is the permanent fix. Partial replacements can temporarily increase lead levels. Ask your utility about:

• Replacement programs and timelines under the LCRI.
• Cost-sharing, grants or low-interest loans for the private side (many cities cover most or all of it).
• Whether they’ll provide a filter and follow-up testing after replacement. EPA encourages using a certified filter for several months after a replacement.

If you’re doing it privately, get quotes from licensed plumbers who do service line work. We can connect you with certified local pros.

Special situations

Renters: Ask your landlord and utility for the service line status, use a certified filter, and flush. Many cities require landlords to share lead information.

Schools and daycares: Ask whether taps have been tested under the “3Ts” (training, testing, taking action) program, and request the results.

Infants: If you use formula and your home has lead risk, use filtered (NSF/ANSI 53 or 58) or bottled water labelled suitable for infants until you have test results.

Bottom line

Check your pipe, run the free risk check, test your tap, and use a certified filter until you know. It’s a small cost against a problem that’s entirely preventable.