After a federal law change, counties across Georgia are making it easier for residents to know if lead pipes are contaminating the water in their communities.
In 2021, a landmark revision was made to federal laws regarding lead and copper in pipes to create safer conditions for drinking water.
Due to this change, public water systems across the country were required to submit an inventory of pipe materials to their state by October 2024, also making those findings publicly accessible.
“Homes may have internal plumbing materials containing lead,” said Dwayne Wingfield, public and governmental affairs press officer for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 4. “Since you cannot see, taste, or smell lead dissolved in water, testing is the only sure way of telling whether there are harmful quantities of lead in your drinking water.”
Lead contamination has been a long-standing issue in the United States, as the toxic chemical negatively impacts the health of children and adults.
Some of the dangers of lead exposure in adults include increased risk of high blood pressure, kidney and nervous system issues, and heart disease, according to the EPA.
Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division indicated that “children, infants, and fetuses” face the biggest risks of lead exposure. For babies and young children, lead exposure risks include decreases in IQ and attention span, as well as learning and behavior issues, according to the EPA.
While Atlanta’s metro counties reported that there is not a widespread issue of lead pipes in their public service lines, some county officials are advising homeowners to look into inspecting the pipes on their private property. DeKalb County officials sent such letters to residents in November, citing limited information about pipes on private land.
Metro Atlanta residents can find information about piping in Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, and Henry counties on their respective websites.
How common are lead pipes in Georgia?
In 1986, Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act, which banned the use of lead pipes in public water systems or plumbing in facilities providing water for human consumption. As such, homes built after this point are far less likely to have lead plumbing.
“The general thought was if your home was built before 1980, it could be possible that whoever built your home or apartment complex used those lead-based pipes,” said DeKalb County Commissioner Ted Terry.
But states across the country, including Georgia, are still playing catch-up to replace lead pipes from the past.
The EPA estimated in 2021 that there were around 46,000 water service lines made of lead materials in Georgia. A 2024 survey from the federal agency estimates the existence of around 234,000 lead pipes statewide.
One of the reasons lead pipes have remained a problem is because it’s a costly endeavor to replace major infrastructure like water service lines.
The EPA estimates that it would cost around $19.7 billion to replace Georgia’s public lead service lines.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has provided millions in funding over the past few years to help Peach State communities replace existing lead service lines. The EPA says Georgia received $66.8 million in 2022 and an additional $28.6 million in 2023 from the federal government for lead pipe replacement.
Other sources of lead in water
Although these federally mandated inventory checks and data collection seek to decrease the risk of lead contamination in water throughout the state, some say it’s not enough.
Jennette Gayer, the state director of nonprofit environmental advocacy group Environment Georgia, said that even if pipes are not made of lead, plumbing materials and fixtures can still contaminate water.
“There’s nothing in this rule that is guaranteeing there [no longer be] lead in drinking water,” she said. “This rule is focused on pipes, and we know that there are other sources of lead in drinking water that can end up in our water system.”
The federal limit for lead found in water is 10 parts per billion. However, the EPA has said “there is no safe level of lead in drinking water.”
“EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) agree that there is no known safe level of lead in a child’s blood. Lead is harmful to health, especially for children,” said the EPA’s Wingfield.
How to test your water for lead
If you’re concerned about possible lead contamination in your water at home, Georgia EPD has a list of multiple commercial labs that coordinate lead testing, which can cost between $20 and $100.
You can also contact your water supplier to see if they have any information about the service lines connected to your home.
The EPA has a free online tool that can help determine if pipes connected to your home are made of lead.
If you identify lead pipes in your home, depending on the size of your home and the amount of existing pipes that need to be replaced, installation could cost thousands of dollars.
You can contact your local government’s water department or your water provider for possible financial assistance.
