Lead and Copper Rule Revisions
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released its Lead and Copper Rule Revisions to help protect our drinking water from lead exposure. Part of the Rule requires public water systems, including the City of Kirkland, to inventory all water lines and the materials they are made of. The EPA requires the process to be complete by October 16, 2024.
Is there lead in our drinking water?
Kirkland’s water sources do not contain lead or copper. Ongoing testing shows that Kirkland’s drinking water meets or exceeds all state and federal drinking water standards.
Learn more about Kirkland's Drinking Water Quality
Lead and copper can leach into residential water from plumbing systems that contain copper or lead. Homes built or plumbed with copper pipe before the 1985 King County lead solder ban may have used lead-based solder. The EPA criteria considers these pipes to be “high risk."
What is the City doing?
The City of Kirkland takes your water quality seriously and we’re working hard to meet Rule requirements. Our work includes creating an inventory of City and customer side water lines and the materials they are made of.
We’re scouring building, permitting, and capital project records, and reviewing past maintenance work orders to help with this. You may see our crews at work on streets doing field investigations.
The good news is our existing data shows that we’ll likely find little or no lead service lines, either on the City or customer side.
The inventory process is not expected to cause significant interruptions to water service, or transportation delays on roadways.
What can you do?
Lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Environmental Protection Agency website.
More information on the Rule can be found at:
US EPA - Lead and Copper Rule Revision
WA Department of Health - Lead and Copper Rule