Lead and Your Drinking Water

Testing for Lead and Copper

As part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule, each year TVWD collects samples from approximately 100 high-risk residential homes. These homes were built between 1983 – 1985 (prior to the lead solder ban) and plumbed with copper pipes and lead solder. Samples are analyzed at a certified laboratory and results are sent to the Oregon Health Authority and participating customers.

Beginning in July 2023, TVWD will begin the Service Line Inventory project, a proactive effort to confirm that there are no lead materials in use. This project meets new federal requirements to identify service line materials in water systems by October 2024. Identifying lead service lines and replacing them, if found, is important to protecting public health. Installation records and prior inspections tell us that our potential to find lead service lines is very low.

Lead results are reported in parts per billion (ppb), meaning one part of lead is present for every billion parts of water. Copper results are reported in parts per million (ppm). These results are then compared with EPA action levels. If more than 10 percent of results are above the action level, additional steps will be required to meet compliance.

In addition to the required annual monitoring, TVWD staff periodically perform lead surveillance monitoring throughout the distribution system and offer free lead testing to all customers. These data are continually reviewed to ensure customers are delivered safe, clean drinking water.

2022 Lead & Copper Monitoring Results EPA Action Level
TVWD Lead Results 13.0 ppb 15.0 ppb
TVWD Copper Results 0.121 ppm 1.3 ppm

 

What’s Being Done Besides Testing?

Since the early nineties, the District's results have consistently been below the EPA's action level for both lead and copper. While this is good news, TVWD and its partners are planning to do better. By 2023 the Portland Water Bureau – one of TVWD’s current sources – will have implemented corrosion control methods that have been proven to decrease the amount of metals that can leach from home plumbing. And in 2026, TVWD will begin delivering water to all customers from its new Willamette Water Supply System, a high-quality, proven water source that will be also be less corrosive. Together these efforts will further reduce lead and copper levels in drinking water for current and future TVWD customers.

Are you a Childcare Provider and need to have your water tested for lead?

TVWD does not currently offer a testing program that meets the legal requirements for childcare facilities. Please reference the following links for more information on how to obtain an approved test kit:

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I Reduce My Exposure to Lead?
  • Run your water to flush out lead
    • Before using water for drinking or cooking, run the water for 30 seconds to 2 minutes or until it becomes colder from each tap when it has not been used for several hours. This flushes water from the pipes that may contain lead.
  • Use cold, fresh water for cooking and preparing baby formula
    • Do not cook with or drink water from the hot water tap as lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Do not use water from the hot water tap to make baby formula.
  • Test your water for lead
    • TVWD provides a no-cost, in-home water sample kit for residential customers that includes additional information about reducing exposure to lead. This is available through the Multnomah County Health Department to all Portland Water Bureau wholesale water customers, including TVWD. If you would like to have your home tested for lead, visit Leadline.org or call (503) 988-4000.
  • Consider using a filter
    • If you have elevated levels of lead in water, you may consider purchasing a water filter to remove it. Be sure it reduces lead - not all filters will reduce lead. Always maintain and replace a filtration device in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions to protect water quality.
  • Do not boil water to remove lead
    • Boiling water will not reduce lead.
  • Test your child for lead
    • Ask your physician or visit Leadline.org or call (503) 988-4000 to find out how to have your child tested for lead. A blood lead level test is the only way to know if your child is being exposed to lead.
  • Regularly clean your faucet aerator
    • Particles containing lead from solder or household plumbing can become trapped in your faucet aerator. Regular cleaning every few months will remove these particles and reduce your exposure to lead.
  • Consider buying low-lead fixtures
    • As of January 2014, all pipes, fittings and fixtures are required to contain less than 0.25 percent lead. When replacing plumbing fixtures, look for those with the lowest lead content.
Category: Lead
How do I test for lead in my water?

Visit leadline.org. Testing is free for residential customers. Request your test kit online and you should receive your kit in the mail within a few days.  Because of the high volume of requests this program receives, it may take up to six weeks to get your results.

Category: Lead
What are the Health Effects of Lead?

Lead can cause serious health problems if too much enters your body from drinking water or other sources. It can cause damage to the brain and kidneys, and can interfere with the production of red blood cells that carry oxygen to the body. The greatest risk of exposure is to infants, young children and pregnant women. Scientists have linked the effects of lead on the brain with lowered IQ in children.

Category: Lead
What are the Sources of Lead?

The main source of lead in water in the region are from lead solder used to join copper pipes and brass plumbing fixtures and components. Lead solder was commonly used in homes built or plumbed with copper prior to 1986. When water sits for several hours in a plumbing systems containing lead it lead may dissolve into the water. Water that has been sitting in these types of pipes for several hours, such as in the morning or after returning from work or school, is most likely to contain lead.

The most common sources of lead exposure for children are deteriorating lead-based paint, lead contaminated dust, and lead contaminated residential soil. Exposure to lead is a significant health concern, especially for young children and infants whose growing bodies tend to absorb more lead than the average adult.

Category: Lead

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