Summary: Texas has the fifth-highest percentage of water pipes made of lead. Most of the lead in drinking water in our homes comes from older private residential service line pipes and plumbing pipes. "Nearly all homes built before the 1986 Safe Drinking Water Act have either lead pipes or lead solder in the plumbing systems." Find out if you need to have your home's drinking water tested.
Latest Update: Saturday, 17 June, 2023
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Texas has the fifth-highest percentage of water pipes made of lead
Although Willow Park water, from wells and from theFort Worth Water System, are required to be tested and reported for lead in our drinking water, most of the lead in drinking water in our homes comes from older private residential service line pipes and plumbing pipes. "Nearly all homes built before the 1986 Safe Drinking Water Act have either lead pipes or lead solder in the plumbing systems." [2]
The EPA estimates that 9.2 million lead service lines exist in the United States. And Texas has the fifth-highest percentage of water pipes made of lead. In the first nationwide assessment of lead-based water lines, the EPA estimated that more than 647,000 water lines in Texas are made of lead — about 7% of the state’s total. [1]
"Homes may have internal plumbing materials containing lead. Since you cannot see, taste, or smell lead dissolved in water, testing is the only sure way of telling whether there are harmful quantities of lead in your drinking water. A list of certified laboratories are available from your state or local drinking water authority. Testing costs between $20 and $100. Contact your water supplier as they may have useful information, including whether the service connector used in your home or area is made of lead." [3]
Sources
[1] Texas has the fifth-highest percentage of water pipes made of lead, The Texas Tribune, 04 April 2023, Excerpts.
Texas has among the highest proportion of lead-based water lines in the country, a problem that, combined with other water infrastructure problems, could cost more than $60 billion to fix, according to an Environmental Protection Agency estimate published Tuesday.
In the first nationwide assessment of lead-based water lines, the EPA estimated that more than 647,000 water lines in Texas are made of lead — about 7% of the state’s total. The EPA on Tuesday also said it would allocate $414 million to Texas for drinking water infrastructure improvements from the federal Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which was increased with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. But the federal dollars are only a tiny fraction of the more than $60 billion the EPA estimates the state needs to address its drinking water infrastructure needs.
The EPA estimates that 9.2 million lead service lines exist in the United States. Florida likely has the highest proportion of lead-based lines, about 13%, followed by Illinois (11%), Ohio (8%), Pennsylvania (7.5%) and then Texas (7%).
• Texas Water Development Board
Texas Water Development Board accepting applications to fund removal of lead service lines, Texas Water Newsroom, 11 April 2023
• Texas Commission on Environmental Quality TCEQ
Lead and Copper Tap Testing Laboratories Map Nearest NELAP accredited public laboratories to Willow Park that offers lead and copper or water quality parameter testing. Always call laboratories to confirm their address, sample drop off hours, and prices. City of Fort Worth Water Department Centralized Water & Wastewater Lab, 817-392-5900, 2600 SE Loop 820, Forth Worth, TX 76140
• Fort Worth Water
Lead is rarely found naturally in our source water or in the treated water flowing through the distribution system. More commonly, lead dissolves into water over time through corrosion – a dissolving or wearing of metal caused by a chemical reaction between water and plumbing materials.
Lead can dissolve into water from service line pipes, private plumbing pipes, solder, fixtures, faucets (brass) and fittings. The amount of lead in your water depends on several factors, including:
• the types and amounts of minerals in the water,
• the water’s acidity or alkalinity,
• the amount of lead in pipes and plumbing,
• how long the water stays in the pipes,
• the presence of protective scales or coatings, and
• water temperature.
• Federal Environmental Protection Agency EPA
[2] Protect Your Family from Sources of Lead, Homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes, fixtures and solder.
[3] Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water > Find Out if Lead is in Your Drinking Water
First, learn more about the water coming into your home
EPA requires all community water systems to prepare and deliver an annual water quality report called a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) for their customers by July 1 of each year. Contact your water utility if you'd like to receive a copy of their latest report. If your water comes from a household well or other private water supply, check with your health department, or with any nearby water utilities that use ground water, for information on contaminants of concern in your area.
Second, you can have your water tested for lead
Homes may have internal plumbing materials containing lead. Since you cannot see, taste, or smell lead dissolved in water, testing is the only sure way of telling whether there are harmful quantities of lead in your drinking water. A list of certified laboratories are available from your state or local drinking water authority. Testing costs between $20 and $100. Contact your water supplier as they may have useful information, including whether the service connector used in your home or area is made of lead.
• Is There Lead Where You Live? The Lead Map, Tap Score
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