2007 Consumer Confidence Report & Annual Water Supply Statement
Lead in drinking water
"If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious
health problems, especially for pregnant women and
young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily
from materials and components associated with service
lines and home plumbing. The Onondaga County Water
Authority is responsible for providing high quality
drinking water, but cannot control the variety of
materials used in plumbing components. When your water
has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize
the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap
for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for
drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead
in your water, you may wish to have your water tested.
Information on lead in drinking water, testing
methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure
is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline, or
click here.
Lead is a naturally-occurring metal that for most of
the 20th century was used regularly as a component of
paint, piping (including water service lines), solder,
brass, and until the 1980s, as a gasoline additive. We
no longer use lead in many of these products, but
older products—such as paints and plumbing fixtures
in older houses—that contain lead remain. EPA and
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that
lead paint (and the contaminated dust and soil it
generates) is the leading source of lead exposure in
older housing.
While lead is rarely present in water coming from a
treatment plant, it can enter tap water through
corrosion of some plumbing materials.
A number of aggressive and successful steps have been
taken in recent years to reduce the occurrence of lead
in drinking water.
In 1986, Congress amended the national Safe Drinking
Water Act to prohibit the use of pipe, solder or flux
containing high lead levels.
The Lead Contamination Control Act of 1988 led schools
and day-care centers to repair or remove water coolers
with lead-lined tanks. EPA provided guidance to
inform and facilitate their action.
Since the implementation of the Lead and Copper Rule
(1991), many community drinking water systems are
required to actively manage the corrosivity of water
distributed to customers. In addition, community water
systems conduct routine monitoring at selected houses
where lead service lines and lead solder. If more than
10 percent of the homes tested have elevated lead
levels (defined as more than 15 parts per billion),
water providers must notify their consumers via
several means. They must also take steps to reduce
the problem, including improving corrosion control and
possibly replacing lead service lines that contribute
to lead contamination
(click here).
You can't see, smell or taste lead in your water.
Testing at the tap is the only way to measure the lead
levels in your home or workplace. If you choose to
have your tap water tested, be sure to use a properly
certified laboratory. Testing usually costs between
$20 and $100.
More information:  or 315-455-7061
After hours & weekend emergency answering service 315-475-7601
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