Understanding Lead in Our Drinking Water
Q: How do I find out if the pipes connected to my home have lead?
Ask your public water system what kind of service lines you have. You can also ask your water system to test your drinking water, although tests of samples are not always accurate. Water utility companies offer both of these services upon request. To search for your water system’s name and contact information, enter your state or county into this U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tool.
Q: If my neighborhood may have lead, should I avoid drinking the water?
There is no safe level of lead in drinking water. The best way to reduce your exposure to potential lead in your drinking water is to use a water filter. Visit the Take Action page for instructions on how to find a water filter that is certified to remove lead, as well as how to properly use it.
Q: Is it safe for me to shower and wash my hands if my water has lead?
Bathing, showering, and washing your hands should be safe because skin does not absorb lead in water.
Q: What do I do if I see a risk of lead exposure in my water system?
There are a few things you can do to protect yourself from lead in your drinking water. The single best thing you can do is to use a water filter. Visit the Take Action page for instructions on how to find a water filter that is certified to remove lead, as well as how to properly use it. This page has information about requests you can make of your local water utility company, your state policymakers, and the federal government to get more information about your water service lines.
Q: If I don’t see a risk of lead exposure on the map, or if my lead pipes have been replaced, does that mean my home is lead-free?
While lead pipes are a large source of lead exposure today, lead can also be present in paint (and the resulting dust when it peels or cracks), soil, some foods, and other consumer products, such as toys and dishware, that were created before bans went into effect in the late 1970s. Learn more at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Q: How do I get more information about the state of water service lines or the progress of removing lead pipes in my community?
You can request information from your water utility company or your public works department, which oversees the construction of roads, buildings, streets, and other local infrastructure. Find your department of public works through your city or town government’s website.
About the LeadOut Map
Q: How does LeadOut Map technology work?
LeadOut Map uses machine learning technology to show you where lead service lines currently exist as best we can understand (find patterns that connect any available data). This information was collected from more than 9,800 public water systems in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The map shows more than 300,000 (reported) lead service lines. The EPA estimates that there are more than 9 million service lines in the U.S.
While lead pipe regulations have improved over the past several decades (including a 1986 ban on new lead pipes), the use of lead in drinking water pipes originated in the 19th century, if not earlier. As a result, states and water systems still may not have consistent or complete records of the materials used in pipes. We use predictive modeling to estimate how many lead service lines are likely both in areas where we do have some data and where we have none.
To do this, our machine learning models find patterns that connect any available data about service lines to real estate and demographic data, infrastructure data such as the age of homes, and more. Information about when a home was built, for example, tells us how likely it is that the home has lead pipes, as a 1986 amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act banned the use of lead pipes. Similarly, the age of all the housing in a water system tells our models how many lead pipes might remain in use.
Q: Can you share the specific methodology for LeadOut Map?
Step 1: Collect lead service line inventory data
First, BlueConduit collected lead service line data from a combination of state environmental agency websites and EPA’s Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment (DWINSA), a survey collected in 2023, which was obtained via Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request data shared by the Natural Resources Defense Council. BlueConduit was able to collect information about service line materials from 9,809 public water systems across all 50 states and Washington D.C. More than 300,000 customer and utility-owned LSL were reported—directly or by FOIA request—across the 1,135 cities and towns; the remaining 8,684 water systems reported zero.
Step 2: Match inventory data to water system and environmental justice data
Next, BlueConduit matched the inventory data by public water system ID to the national Water Utility Service Area Boundaries data set and collected the EPA’s Environmental Justice Index data for each city and town, which helps them understand what communities are most at risk of health consequences as a result of pollution and other environmental factors.
Step 3: Use machine learning to fill in the gaps
Finally, they used all of the data to train a machine learning model, which can estimate how many lead service lines are likely within as many of the remaining 48,000 U.S. public water systems as possible. They combine these estimates with all of our lead service line information nationwide and make them available on LeadOut Map for the public to access and explore.
Q: When was the data on the LeadOut Map collected?
BlueConduit gathered the data that underlies the LeadOut Map in 2023. Some of this data was updated as recently as that year; other data includes historical records, census and real estate data, and other information that may date back as long as 100 years.
As we approach the EPA’s deadline and have access to more reports, we will update LeadOut Map, tracking progress around which water systems have made their full inventories and any inventory reports publicly available. We will use this new data to improve estimates nationwide. As inventories become available, we also plan to link to this address-level information, so residents can get the information they need.
Q: How accurate are LeadOut Map’s estimates?
The estimates provided by LeadOut Map are limited by the amount of available national data, so it is difficult to measure the exact accuracy of LeadOut’s underlying machine learning model. Additionally, patterns in the data make it more difficult to estimate accurately in larger cities.
Please consider this map a first step in our work to establish a national picture of where lead service lines exist. This makes decisions about their removal easier for the federal and state governments, as well as for water utility companies.
We are committed to improving the accuracy of the model and the quality of the underlying data over time, and we have included on the Map page a note about when the map was last updated.
After the EPA’s October 16, 2024, reporting deadline, we will have access to more reports and accurate information to regularly update the map.
Q: I work at a water utility company, and I believe we have more up-to-date information than what the LeadOut Map shows. Can you update the map?
Yes! It is our intention to have the most up-to-date information available on the LeadOut Map. Please contact us with updated data and include your data source.
Q: It appears the map only shows data at the water system–level. Why can’t I see data about my own address?
Yes, you can only see water system–level district data.
Most water utilities have not yet made address-level pipe inventories publicly available. This data will become available as water utilities begin to report data in accordance with EPA’s inventory deadline of October 16, 2024. As they do, BlueConduit also plans to link to this address-level information, so residents can get the information they need. (BlueConduit has worked with some municipalities on a paid and pro bono basis.)
In the meantime, water system–level information helps water systems that seek State Revolving Funds or Federal EPA funds and need to estimate their funding needs. This information also helps communities more clearly understand the the full, possible picture of lead pipes in their communities.
Q: I don’t see any (or I see very few) lead service lines in my community on the map. Does this mean I don’t have lead in my drinking water?
If you see the yellow shade, this means that less than 10% of your water service lines contain lead; the LeadOut Map cannot guarantee all lead pipes are removed, as these are estimates based on best available but not perfect information. If you only see gray, this means that there is not enough data about the water system’s lead service lines. This represents a lack of information—not necessarily a lack of lead.
Q: How often will you update the map?
As we approach the EPA’s October 16, 2024, reporting deadline, we will make updates to the map, tracking water systems’ progress with making inventories publicly available and reporting them to their state regulatory agencies. We will use this data to improve estimates nationwide.
To best ensure accuracy and transparency, we require that all information must be publicly available (via public URL) before updating LeadOut Map information. We note the date of the most recent update to the LeadOutMap.org map directly on the Map.
How to Help Get the Lead Out of Drinking Water
Q: How can my family and community use LeadOut Map to help replace the lead service lines?
If the map reports or estimates lead service lines in your area, please visit the Take Action page for information about how you can reduce your exposure at low- or no cost to your family.
Q: How can municipalities and utilities use LeadOut Map to replace the lead service lines?
LeadOut Map’s estimates indicate what areas are most likely to have lead service lines, and which are least likely to have them. This can help direct city and town governments and utility companies to focus their resources and dig where the lead is. This saves millions of dollars in avoided digs and, most importantly, reduces the time that community residents are exposed to lead in their water.
Please see our Take Action page for more information about how you can help get the lead out.
Q: How is LeadOut Map connected to the federal government’s plans to get the lead out by 2031?
BlueConduit, which powers the LeadOut Map nationwide map, was mentioned in the EPA’s 2022 Service Line Inventory Guidance and was recognized by the White House’s 2023 Pipe and Paint Progress Report. They also signed onto the White House’s 2023 Guiding Principles for Lead Service Line Replacement.