Water Verify

Your Water Tested Positive for Lead. What Now?

Finding lead in your water is alarming, but a positive test result means you have information most households don’t. You know what’s in your water – now you can act.

This guide walks you through exactly what a positive result means and the immediate steps you can take right now to protect your family.

First: Don’t Panic, But Take It Seriously

A positive lead result doesn’t mean a crisis. It means your water has a detectable concentration of lead, and that you should act.

There is no safe level of lead in drinking water, according to both the EPA and CDC. But the good news is, lead contamination in water is almost always addressable.

What a Positive Lead Result Means

The EPA’s current action level for lead in drinking water is 15 ppb (parts per billion).

However, it’s important to understand that the action level is not considered “safe.” The EPA’s health goal for lead in drinking water is zero, since even small amounts can be harmful, especially for young children and pregnant women. The connection between children, pregnancy and lead exposure is well documented, and the risks are serious.

In many homes, lead contamination comes from a household’s water delivery system, not the water supply itself. Reducing exposure often starts with identifying and addressing plumbing materials inside the home.

Immediate Next Steps

If lead is present in your water, there are practical ways to reduce exposure right away:

  1. Purchase and use a certified filter to reduce your family’s exposure while you work on longer-term solutions.
  2. Stop drinking tap water immediately. This includes water for cooking, making coffee or tea, and mixing infant formula.
  3. Use cold water for consumption. Hot water dissolves lead more readily than cold.
  4. Flush pipes before using water, especially after periods of inactivity.

Short-Term Solutions

Are There Water Filters That Remove Lead?

One of the best immediate steps you can take is installing a water filtration system that is certified to remove lead and has NSF/ANSI 53 certification. This certification means the filter has been tested and proven to reduce harmful contaminants.

Be careful not to confuse it with NSF/ANSI 42, which only covers taste and odor improvements, such as chlorine reduction.

Yes. Reverse osmosis systems are considered some of the most effective ways to remove lead from drinking water. These systems use a specialized layer that blocks lead and other heavy metals, often removing 95%-99% of contaminants.

Many refrigerator filters only improve taste and odor and are not certified for lead removal. To know if your filter protects against lead, check the packaging or product details for NSF/ANSI 53 certification specifically for lead.

Boiling water does not remove lead. Boiling can actually increase lead concentration as water volume decreases. Never boil water as a lead removal method.

Long-Term Solutions

Pipe Replacement

If lead pipes or old plumbing are the source, replacement is the only permanent fix. A licensed plumber can inspect your system and identify problem areas. Some water utilities offer financial assistance or replacement programs.

Older faucets and brass fixtures can contain lead. Replacing them with newer certified fixtures is a simple way to reduce exposure. When shopping for replacements, look for fixtures and fittings certified to NSF/ANSI/CAN 61, which tests plumbing components for how much lead and other contaminants they can leach into water.

A plumber or water testing professional can identify exactly where lead is entering your water, whether from service lines, pipes, solder or fixtures.

If the contamination comes from outside your home, your local water utility may be responsible for replacing portions of the lead service line and can provide information on local programs or next steps.

When To Retest Your Water

Retesting is a nonnegotiable part of any remediation plan. Never assume the problem is resolved without confirmation.

  • After installing a filter: Verify performance immediately after installation and again after 30 days.
  • After pipe or fixture replacement: Confirm the contamination source has been removed.
  • Annually: Ongoing monitoring is especially important in older homes.
  • After any plumbing disturbance: Precautionary monitoring after plumbing incidents is valuable.

How Water Verify Can Help

A positive lead result tells you there’s a problem, but not where it’s coming from.

That distinction matters. Lead can come from your home’s plumbing or fixtures or the root water supply. Each reason requires a different solution.

That’s where Water Verify’s Second Draw Kit comes in.

Designed for follow-up testing, it helps identify whether lead is entering your water at the tap or from deeper within your plumbing system.

Using the kit is designed to be straightforward:

  • Collect a second water sample from your tap.
  • Send it to a certified lab using prepaid shipping.
  • Receive clear results that help pinpoint the source.

The process builds on your initial test without adding unnecessary complexity. So, you can focus on understanding your results, not navigating the process.

Order a Second Draw Kit