Old lead pipe to be replaced by professional/©Adobe Stock
Lead is a naturally occurring metal. It is a common additive in plumbing materials such as lead solder and brass fittings. If you have corrosive water, it can cause lead to leach from the plumbing materials. To protect yourself from lead in well water, it’s crucial to understand the sources of lead and take appropriate measures.
Lead is a considered a health risk and is listed as a primary contaminant by the USEPA. The topic of lead in well water is still being researched, and there is ongoing learning and discovery in this area. Therefore, staying informed about the latest findings and recommendations is important for maintaining the quality of your well water.
What are the effects of lead in well water?
Lead in water poses health risks, particularly for children. Even minimal exposure to lead has been linked to significant impacts on the nervous system, cognitive development, and behavior.
When should I test for lead in my well water?
There is no safe level of lead in well water. To ensure you are protecting your family’s health, we have developed a set of recommendations for testing that are provided in our article, "What do I need to know about sampling my well water?, that includes lead. When testing your well water you will very rarely be testing for only one thing, like lead, and instead testing for a suite of constituents that are important to identify if in your drinking water.
What treatment should I use if there is lead in my well water?
How do I remove lead from my water?
There are several treatment options available if you have lead in your well water. The Minnesota Department of Health has developed a Home Water Treatment Guide that covers treatment for any common constituent in well water. The most important advice we can provide you is if you are going to add treatment to your home water system, be sure the treatment device has been certified to remove lead by an independent third-party certification organization. Check out the EPA's tool to identify filters that are certified to remove lead.
Where can I get local help and information about lead in my well water?
Contact your local health department – They can help you interpret your sample results and may have information on the best treatment options for your situation. If they personally aren’t able to answer your questions, they will know who to contact who will be able to help you, likely at your state health department.
Contact a water treatment professional - we would recommend contacting a water treatment professional who has been certified through the Water Quality Association’s Professional Certification Program.
State or Federal Geologic or Water Resource Agency – they may have completed field studies of your area or collected samples from water wells to map and understand the water quality in your state. In addition, they may house water well logs, including yours, or be able to provide additional information about the aquifer your well is getting water from.
Consult your well driller or drilling contractor – the contractor that drilled your well, and other local contractors, may be aware of the water quality issues nearby including high iron, and might have worked with other well owners in your area to solve this issue .
Research online – you should be inquisitive; it will help you significantly because there may be great information available online. Use search terms like “my state (CA, ME, IL, etc.) water well logs”, “my state groundwater quality”, or “my state well water quality”.
Contact us directly – if these other local sources don’t work out for you, we may be able to help. We may be able to provide direct assistance, and/or direct you to a technical assistance provider in your area who can help answer your questions (free service funded by USEPA).
Additional Resources
Want to learn more about your private well and how to care for it?
Sign up for the free 10-week email course from PrivateWellClass.org. The class is a project of RCAP and the University of Illinois, with funding from USEPA.
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