Reducing your exposure to Lead

There is no safe level of exposure to lead. 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 corrosion of materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. The Bellefonte Borough Water Authority is responsible for providing high quality drinking water but cannot control the variety of materials used in customer plumbing components. Historically, the Authority’s water supply has met state and federal water quality standards and we continue to routinely monitor our drinking water quality.

Lead is not detected in drinking water when it leaves the treatment plant and there is no current concern about lead at large in our water system.  The Authority is required to conduct a thorough inventory to document the material of all water service lines by October 16, 2024 to comply with federal and state regulations.

Federal requirements for public water systems to use “lead-free materials” first became effective in Pennsylvania on January 6, 1991. If you live in a home built after January 6, 1991, it is unlikely that you have lead materials in your service line or home plumbing. It is still important that the Authority document the material of all service lines to comply with all federal and state requirements regardless of when your home was built.

Reducing Your Exposure to Lead

If you think you have a lead service line or lead materials in your plumbing and want to reduce your exposure to lead, you should do the following:

• Use only cold, fresh water for drinking, cooking, and preparing baby formula. Run the water for at least 1 minute or until after it turns cold.
• Do not boil the water to remove lead. Boiling water will not reduce lead. Excessive boiling of water makes the lead and copper more concentrated the lead and copper remains when the water evaporates.
• Test your home for lead. The only way to determine the level of lead in drinking water at your home is to have the water tested by a state certified laboratory. Consider having your paint tested also.