Lehigh County Authority is Working to Get Lead Out of the Water System!

Removing lead pipes is an important public health project, and we hope you will help! Lead is not naturally found in our water supplies but can get into your drinking water if you have lead pipes or pipes made of galvanized material located downstream from lead, or if you have lead solder joints in your home.

We need your help!

You play an important role in removing lead from the water system. Watch this video from the EPA to learn more about how you can support our efforts.

Searchable Service Line Inventory Map

The LCA searchable inventory map provides customer information about the water service line serving their home or business. Click on the image of the map below to open it. Next, follow the instructions on the map or below to search for your property and learn more about your water service line.

To use the map:

– Click on the image of the map to open
– Use the looking glass icon in the top right corner to open the search window
– Type in a property address to view details
– Click on the symbol shown
– Confirm the correct address is showing in the details page
– View the details about the lead category and pipe material for the property selected

There are 4 classifications for the lead category on the property details: 

– Service lines classified as non-lead may be made of copper, PVC, or galvanized material that does not require replacement.
– Service lines classified as unknown have not been confirmed.
– Service lines classified as lead are made of lead.
– Service lines classified as galvanized requiring replacement means the pipe is made of galvanized material and has been located downstream of a lead line at some point since installation.

*NOTE – If the utility side of the service line is lead and the customer side is non-lead it will show as lead on the map. Only one symbol shows on the map for each property. Click on the symbol to open the details and view information for both sides of the service line.

What is lead?

Lead is a common naturally occurring metallic element that can be found in air, soil, and water. It is also a powerful toxin that is harmful to human health. Lead was commonly used in gasoline and paint until the 1970s and is still sometimes found in products such as ceramics, batteries, ammunition, and cosmetics. Lead was used for centuries in plumbing because of its pliability and resistance to leaks; in fact, lead’s chemical symbol, Pb, is derived from the Latin word for plumbing.

In 1986, EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Act was changed to prohibit the use of lead materials in public water systems, but some materials could still be used if they contained up to 8% lead. Then, in 2014 the limit was lowered so that pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fittings, and fixtures that come into contact with your water may not contain more than 0.25% lead. However, these rules only apply to the installation of new pipes and plumbing fixtures, and systems installed before these dates may contain higher amounts of lead.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The risk of lead exposure will vary from home to home. In some homes, the risk may be from lead-based paint. Learn more about sources of lead in the home on the EPA website.

Where does lead in drinking water come from?

Learn about lead in drinking water and how it gets there in this infographic from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The drinking water from LCA’s water sources (creeks, springs, and wells) is lead-free! However, if buildings have water pipes made of lead or plumbing containing lead, there is a risk of having lead get into the water. This is important for customers to understand because customers must be engaged in solutions to reduce the risk of lead exposure!

Download LCA Fact Sheet: About Lead in Drinking Water

Exposure to lead through water is controlled by LCA’s efforts to ensure our water does not contain corrosive properties that will contribute to lead leaching from the pipes it travels through to get to your tap. While the water leaving the treatment plant does not contain lead, homes serviced by lead service lines have the potential to accumulate lead in the water. Homes built before 1960 have a greater possibility of being serviced by a lead service line. In 1986, amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) limited the use of lead as a material in public water supplies and in residential or non-residential facility drinking water plumbing (US EPA Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments, 1986).

When it comes to service lines, maintenance, and repairs, who owns what?

Customers often ask who owns the water service line and who is responsible for maintenance and repairs. In the diagram above, LCA is responsible for the portion of the service line marked as the Public Side: Public Water System. Customers are responsible for the part marked as Private Side: Property Owner. Look for a water valve (usually in the curb line) to find out where the Public Side and Private Side meet. Note: LCA is also responsible for the water meter located inside the property, but customers are responsible for protecting the meter from theft, tampering, freezing, or other damage.

LCA Testing for Lead

Currently, LCA tests for lead in tap water every three years at 50 representative taps of vulnerable homes in the City of Allentown and at more than 150 homes across all of our service areas in Lehigh and Northampton counties. We do this according to the requirement of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead and Copper Rule. The testing results are used to determine if our water continues to be non-corrosive so that water has minimum potential for lead to leach from plumbing materials. So far, our test results show that the non-corrosive properties of LCA’s water are working to keep lead levels to a minimum.

Click Here to view the latest results from LCA’s water systems

If you have questions:

Contact us if you have questions about your water service line or communications you have received from LCA. We’re happy to help!