A high level of lead in drinking water can cause health concerns, particularly in children. That's why SCDES works to ensure that public water systems adhere to drinking water quality standards and regulations. Lead is rarely in drinking water when it leaves the treatment plant; however, it can seep into the water from old plumbing along the way.
How Lead Gets into Drinking Water
Public water systems perform routine tests guided by federal and state standards to make sure the amount of lead in drinking water remains at a safe level. If the level rises too high, the Environmental Protection Agency requires action. The EPA's Action Level for lead in drinking water is greater than 15 parts per billion or .015 mg/L. The state's Safe Drinking Water Regulation (R.61-58) also requires specific actions to protect the public. If a public water system exceeds the lead action level, it must:
When water stands in lead pipes or plumbing systems containing lead for several hours, the lead may dissolve into your drinking water. If you have lead pipes or plumbing that contains lead, the first water drawn from the tap in the morning, or later in the afternoon if the water has not been used all day, can contain high levels of lead.
Homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes, fixtures and solder. The federal Safe Drinking Water Act of 1986 banned the use of lead solder containing greater than 0.2 percent lead, and restricted the lead content of faucets, pipes and other plumbing materials to 8 percent.
How SCDES Helps Keep Your Drinking Water Safe
SCDES regulates public water systems to make sure they comply with drinking water standards and helps them produce the best possible water quality. SCDES provides:
SCDES Suggested Directions for Homeowner Tap Sampling Collection Procedures
Public water systems perform routine tests guided by federal and state standards to make sure the amount of lead in drinking water remains at a safe level. If the level rises too high, the Environmental Protection Agency requires action. The EPA's Action Level for lead in drinking water is greater than 15 parts per billion or .015 mg/L. The state's Safe Drinking Water Regulation (R.61-58) also requires specific actions to protect the public. If a public water system exceeds the lead action level, it must:
- Provide public education to every person served by their system (and submit proof that they did so to SCDES within 30 days).
- Collect and distribute additional samples to SCDES within 30 days.
- Conduct source water monitoring.
- Submit a plan for controlling corrosion to SCDES.
Lead Data
Notes: The Action Level for lead is greater than 15 parts per billion or .015 mg/L. The units for the lead values shown in the PDF are in mg/L.
Monitoring periods are January through June and July through December if the system is on six-month monitoring. The monitoring period is June 1 through September 30 if the system is on annual or three-year monitoring.
An exceedance of the action level is calculated based on the 90th percentile of all samples taken during the monitoring period (at different locations within the distribution system or multiple samples taken at the same location).
A blank means no sample was taken during that monitoring period. A zero means a sample was taken and lead was not found above the detection limit.
There is no federal or state maximum contaminant level for lead. An exceedance of the action level requires the public water system to implement measures to control corrosion, provide education to their customers about ways to reduce exposure to lead in drinking water, and additional sampling.
Lead Detection in Public Water Systems (01/2023)
How to Reduce Exposure to Lead in Drinking Water
Flush Your System
Flushing tap water is a simple and inexpensive measure you can take to protect your health. It typically uses less than one to two gallons of water.
Let the water run from the tap before using it for drinking or cooking if the faucet has gone unused for more than six hours. The longer water stays in plumbing the more lead it may contain. To flush the tap, run the cold water faucet for about 15-40 seconds. Although toilet flushing or showering flushes water through a portion of the plumbing system, you still need to flush each faucet before using it for drinking or cooking.
Use Only Cold Water for Cooking and Drinking
Do not cook with, or drink water from the hot water tap. Hot water can dissolve lead more quickly than cold water. If you need hot water, draw water from the cold tap and then heat it.
Is Your Water from a Public Water System?
If you receive a water bill, then your drinking water most likely is from a public water system. Public water systems (that serve the same people year round) are required by law to provide their customers with a water quality report, also known as a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR). Find more information about testing your drinking water.
Upcoming Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR)
Systems with lead, galvanized requiring replacement, or unknown service lines must send notifications to affected customers by November 15th, 2024. In the Useful Documents section below, there are templates and associated FAQs for the various service line materials and situations that may be present in your system. Please read each thoroughly to ensure that customers receive the appropriate communication and that the content aligns with your inventory efforts and capabilities. These templates require system input in many places and cannot be sent out as-is. These templates and FAQ documents were created by Mike McGill of WaterPIO with very minor adjustments from SCDES and meet the initial customer notification requirements of the LCRR. SCDES is grateful to Mike and his team for creating and providing these documents. You may choose to revise these templates to better fit the needs of your water system so long as you do not adjust or eliminate any of the required components or alter it to such a degree that the intent to inform and educate consumers is changed. There are various other templates available online including a template from the USEPA, or you may also choose to create your own notification letter from scratch. If you choose to use a template other than the SCDES or USEPA template, you must ensure that it meets the requirements of the LCRR as found in the EPA Notification Fact Sheet.
Useful Documents:
- Revised SCDES Service Line Inventory Template
- EPA Inventory Template
- EPA Inventory Final Guidance
- EPA LCRR Small System Entity Inventory Guide
- EPA Factsheet LCRR
- EPA Notification Factsheet
- GRR FAQ
- GRR Notification Letter
- Lead FAQ
- Lead Notification Letter
- Unknown FAQ
- Unknown Notification Letter
- Service Line Materials Notification FAQ
Useful Lead and Copper Forms
- D 3023 – Lead and Copper Monitoring Report Form Justification for Change of Sample Site
- D 3024 – Lead and Copper Monitoring Reporting Form Analytical Results for Lead and Copper
- D 3025 – Lead and Copper Monitoring Reporting Form Analytical Results for Water Quality Parameter Monitoring
- D 3162 – Lead and Copper Monitoring Report Form for Non-Transient Non-Community Water Systems
- D 3997 – Public Education on Lead in Drinking Water
- SCDES Suggested Directions for Homeowner Tap Sampling Collection Procedures
- SCDES Suggested Directions for Non-Transient Non-Community Water System Tap Sampling Collection Procedures
Have a Private Well?
If your drinking water comes from a private well, it is up to you to make sure it is safe. Be sure to test your well water for contaminants.
Learn more about how to protect your family from lead exposure.
Contacts
- Richard Welch, Jr. P.E., Manager, Drinking Water & Recreational Waters Compliance, (803) 898-3546
- Wendi Smith, Program Manager, Drinking Water Compliance Monitoring Section, (803) 898-2382
- Idris Liban, Lead and Copper Rule Manager, (803) 898-3573
- Ana Barber, Lead and Copper Rule Manager, (803) 898-4154