Lead FAQs

Lead has no smell, color, or distinct taste.

Lead is a heavy metal that has many industrial uses. Everyone is exposed to trace amounts of lead through the air, soil, household dust, and various consumer products. Lead can be toxic when taken into the body. It can be stored in bone and tissue for years.

Residents may be exposed to lead if their home has plumbing installed before 1986 or paint that was manufactured before 1978.

Lead can leach out of older pipes and lead-based solders at pipe joints, especially when pipes become corroded. Once a lead service line corrodes, the lead may then get into a home drinking water supply.

Residents can be exposed to higher lead levels from stagnant water that sits in a home’s lead pipes. If water in the pipes is not used for several hours or days (such as overnight, during the work day, or while on a vacation) lead levels can increase in the water for those who have lead service lines.

Regulatory measures have been taken to reduce human exposure to lead in drinking water. For more information, go to the following links:

• Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974
• EPA's Lead Laws, Regulations, and Policies
• Lead and Copper Rule Improvements

For a detailed explanation of what the City of Ames is doing to protect residents, see below.

Lead has no smell, color, or distinct taste.

In the Ames community, there are a small number of lead pipes (service lines) that connect older homes to the utility water main in homes built before 1986.

According to City records, less than 2% of residences have lead service lines. The actual number is likely lower as many have been updated without the City being notified.

The best way to know with certainty if you have lead at the tap is to have your water tested by a certified laboratory. This may cost a fee depending on the lab.

The City of Ames water utility tests at-risk homes for lead and copper levels every three years. You can request to be put on the list to be tested if you have a known lead service line or copper plumbing with lead soldering.

Lead is rarely found in source water. When treated water leaves the City’s water treatment plant, it does not contain lead. The most common way for lead to get into drinking water is when the metal leaches into water over time through corrosion of a lead water service line. Lead can also be leached from lead-based solder on copper pipe joints and brass faucets, fittings, and valves.

Corrosion is more likely if the water has a low pH (is acidic) or if the alkalinity is too low (pH in water cannot be stabilized). The pH and alkalinity (among many other factors in managing the water chemistry) are controlled by the City Water Treatment Plant operators, who are on duty 24 hours a day.

Your City of Ames water utility has been treating water to control corrosiveness for decades. Even homes with lead pipes have built up a preventative coating around the inside of the pipes from the corrosion treatment, water treatment, and dissolved minerals; making a protective barrier between any metal in the plumbing and the water.

With all that the City does to protect the drinking water, residents with lead service lines can still be exposed to higher lead levels from stagnant water that sits in a home’s plumbing. If water in the pipes is not used for several hours or days (such as overnight, during the workday, or while on a vacation) lead levels can increase in the water, for those who have lead service lines.

Even residents who do not have lead service lines can be at risk for lead exposure. Plumbing fixtures like faucets, valves, and lead-based solder can contain small amounts of lead.

Water that leaves the Ames Water Treatment Plant does not contain lead. However, once the water interacts with private water systems, lead can leach out of older pipes and lead-based solders at pipe joints, especially when pipes become corroded. Once a lead service line corrodes, the lead may then get into a home drinking water supply.

The City of Ames water utility has been treating water to control corrosion for decades. Even homes with lead pipes have built up a preventative coating inside pipes forming a protective barrier between any metal in the plumbing and the water.

Lead levels in drinking water depend on the chemistry of the water supply. Corrosion is more likely if the water has a low pH (is acidic) or if the alkalinity is too low (pH in water cannot be stabilized). The pH and alkalinity, among many other factors in managing the water chemistry, are controlled by the Ames Water Treatment Plant operators who are on duty 24 hours a day.

Even with all the City does to protect drinking water, residents can still be exposed to higher lead levels from stagnant water that sits in a home’s lead pipes. If water in the pipes is not used for several hours or days (such as overnight, during the work day, or while on a vacation) lead levels can increase in the water for those who have lead service lines.

Since lead and copper are regulated, the City is required to control the corrosiveness of our water. The pH and alkalinity of Ames water is maintained at a level which helps build a protective coating on the inside of pipes so lead and copper cannot leach into the water. Once this thin coating forms, there is a protective barrier between any metal in the plumbing and the water.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires the City to monitor the drinking water in the distribution system for lead and copper. Every three years, the Water & Pollution Control Laboratory tests targeted residences (homes known to possess lead service lines or that have copper plumbing/lead solder) for lead and copper levels.

Of all of the samples taken, at least 90% must be less than 15 micrograms of lead per liter of water. The City of Ames water has never exceeded this action level. The results of the lead and copper testing are submitted at the state level to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

A report is sent to the residents informing them of the results for their homes. The results are also published in our annual Consumer Confidence Report.

The only way to know with certainty if you have lead at the tap is to have your water tested by a certified laboratory. You can arrange for your own sampling to be done by an accredited lab at your own cost.

Residents can be exposed to higher lead levels from stagnant water that sits in a home’s lead pipes. If water in the pipes is not used for several hours or days (such as overnight, during the work day, or while on a vacation) lead levels can increase in the water, for those who have lead service lines. Running cold water first thing in the morning or any time your plumbing hasn’t been used for a number of hours (the U.S. EPA recommends six hours or more) can reduce risks to lead exposure. There are several ways to do this:

• Run cold water in all faucets for five minutes or more
• Flush all toilets
• Start a load of laundry

Lead from drinking water is not well-absorbed through the skin and is not taken in through breathing. Therefore, exposure to lead from dishwashing, showering, bathing, or any cleaning is not a concern.

Make sure you run cold water for at least five minutes total before drinking or cooking with any of the water from the tap. Using hot water increases the leaching of lead from pipes. It is recommended to use only cold water from the tap for cooking and consumption.

Another way to reduce risks of lead exposure is to routinely clean or replace faucet aerators (screens). Sediment and metals can collect in the screen located at the tip of your faucets. New screens are generally available at local hardware stores.

A more permanent solution to address lead issues with your water is to remove sources of lead entering your water. If your service line is lead-based, then you can have that replaced. Also, if there are any other pipes, fittings, or faucets in your home containing lead; you can have them replaced with the appropriate materials. Call a licensed plumber to see what you need to replace to get the lead fittings out of your home.

When replacing plumbing, look for National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) labels. Or look for a statement on the packaging that the device meets the federal definition of “lead-free.”

• Lead has never been found in Ames' source water or treated water entering the distribution system.
• Lead in drinking water has no taste, smell, or color. You cannot tell by looking at water whether or not it contains lead.
• Lead leaches into water over time due to corrosion in a home’s lead water pipes.
• The City of Ames is required to control our water stability to prevent lead and copper leaching.
• Every three years the City of Ames is required to test our water at a selected number of high-risk homes for lead and copper. We report the findings to the Iowa DNR as well as in our annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR).
• If you are concerned about being exposed to lead, your doctor can conduct a blood test to measure your blood lead level.
• Just because you have lead pipes, does not mean you are being poisoned.
• The City keeps the water chemically managed, assisting in creating a protective coating to help keep lead from leaching into the water.
• In Ames, the homeowner owns and is responsible for all of their service line.
• Homeowners can have their water tested for lead by a third-party laboratory.
• Boiling water DOES NOT reduce lead risks. In fact, prolong boiling can concentrate lead.
• Identifying and replacing plumbing fixtures that contain lead can greatly reduce your risks of being exposed to lead. The City of Ames uses water meters that meet the federal definition of "lead free."
• The greatest exposure to lead is through ingesting and breathing in lead paint chips and dust.
• A licensed plumber can identify whether your service line is made of lead or if you have lead-based plumbing fixtures.
• Cutting into lead pipes can increase risks of lead poisoning. Any service line being replaced should be replaced in its entirety. All City of Ames meters are lead-free.
• The U.S. EPA sets an action level for lead in drinking water at 15 micrograms per liter. At least 90% of samples the City takes must be less than 15 micrograms per liter. City of Ames municipal water has never exceeded this action level.
• Lead dissolves more quickly in hot water. It is recommended to never use hot tap water for baby formula, cooking, or drinks.
• Rusty water does not equate to lead in the water. Rusty water caused by a disruption in the distribution system (often from water main breaks or repairs) does not have lead in it from the distribution system. Rusty water is safe to drink. The City does not recommend doing laundry until your water runs clear. Also to keep the rusty water out of your water heater, the City recommends not using your hot tap water when there is rusty water in your area.
• Even residents who do not have lead service lines can be at risk for lead exposure. Plumbing fixtures like faucets, valves, and lead-based solder can contain small amounts of lead. There are actions that can be taken to reduce the risk to lead exposure.

Your service line is the pipe that connects your household plumbing to the water main in the street and delivers the water from the City water main to your home. In the City of Ames, the water main is maintained by the Public Works Department.

Water having no current or flow. Water ceasing to move or flow becomes stagnate. When referring to stagnant water in a home, it means water that has been sitting in a home’s pipes without being moved or used for several hours or more.

The dissolving or wearing away of metal caused by a chemical reaction between the water and plumbing materials.

The removal of metal from a substance, through the percolation of water, or water passing through.

Water from streams, rivers, lakes or underground aquifers that is used for drinking. The City of Ames uses an underground aquifer (the Ames Aquifer) as its water source.