Water service lines are the small pipes that carry water from the Town’s water main in the street into homes/buildings.

The composition of water service lines are generally related to the age of the service.  Prior to the mid 1930’s, typical residential water service lines were made of lead or galvanized iron pipe.  In the mid 1930’s, the industry began changing over to using copper service lines.  Beginning in the 1990’s, the industry began to use plastic or high density polyethylene.   

Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups. Infants and children can have decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposure can lead to new learning and behavior problems or exacerbate existing learning and behavior problems. The children of women who are exposed to lead before or during pregnancy can have increased risk of these adverse health effects. Adults can have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney or nervous system problems. Because lead may pose serious health risks, both the 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”.

Contact your health care provider or your local health department to find out if your child needs to be tested for lead. A blood lead level test is the only way to know if your child is being exposed to lead. For more information on Massachusetts’ childhood lead testing program, contact the Department of Public Health (DPH) at https://www.mass.gov/orgs/childhood-lead-poisoning-prevention-program or at 1-800-532-9571. 

If you have health concerns, please contact your health care provider with any questions.

Service line material information is based upon historical permit or service installation records, water main installation/replacement records, meter records, and/or misc. maintenance, repair and replacement work. If existing records are incomplete or unclear, a visible inspection of the water service entering your home can provide valuable information.  As the effort to investigate this information can take appreciable time, Concord staff have already begun While much effort Division staff have begun to investigate this. If this information is inconclusive, it may be necessary to expose the service line using conventional excavation/digging equipment.

While Concord has many records dating back to the late 1800’s and we have been reviewing and cataloging historic water service records since 2017, some data gaps remain.

We have been tackling the inventory in three main groups based on the approximate year built in the Concord Assessors Database.

1. Pre 1940 – Concord has no record of lead water service installation after 1932. To be conservative we used a cutoff date of 1940.
2. 1941-1986 – In 1986, Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act to ban the use of lead in plumbing, solder, and flux in public water systems and in plumbing that provides water for human consumption.  Because there is no written documentation that Concord instituted a lead ban/moratorium, we have to consider any water services of unknown material installed prior to the end of 1986 to potentially be lead.
3. Post 1986 – If you home was built after 1986, we can confidently say that your water service material is either Copper or High-Density Polyethylene (Blue Plastic).

The information provided in the Water Service Line Inventory is based on the best available data that Concord Water has at this time. If the material type listed is “Unknown,” that means we have no records of a material type for your service line or there are conflicting records.

The information contained in the Water Service Line Inventory is based on the best available data that Concord Water has in its possession. If the material type is listed as “Non-Lead”, Concord Water has records indicating that the water service line material is Copper, Plastic (high density polyethylene - HDPE), Cement Lined Iron, Ductile Iron, or water service lines of unknown material installed after the 1986 lead ban.

Although your service line may not be made of lead, you can still be exposed to lead in the water through internal plumbing fixtures. To reduce the potential for lead exposure from tap water, you should run your faucet for at least 30 seconds or until it gets cold. Once the water is cold, run it for an additional 15 seconds.

Galvanized Steel or Iron Pipes Galvanized steel pipes are a dull gray color. They are hard to scratch, and underneath the color of the pipe will remain dull gray. A magnet will stick to galvanized steel, and tapping a steel pipe with a coin will produce a metallic ringing noise. Steel pipes also typically have threaded fittings. Steel pipes on their own are not a source of lead in drinking water (unless they have been lined with lead); however, steel pipes in older homes may pose a serious risk if they have been connected to lead plumbing at any point. Galvanized steel pipes can trap lead on their inside surface and periodically release those bits of lead, even after lead plumbing is removed.

In Concord water service lines are considered private infrastructure and the customer is responsible for maintaining the entire service line from the water main to the water meter. Article 2. Section 5 of the Town of Concord, Rules and Regulations Governing Water Connections and Use (Oct. 2002).

Notices regarding water service line materials are only sent out to customers whose water service falls into the below category:

1. Unknown – Could possibly contain lead
2. Galvanized – Requiring Replacement
3. Lead – Requiring Replacement

Yes. Lead from solder, fixtures, and pipes found in the plumbing of some buildings or homes can be released into water, so it may be possible that your home’s drinking water contains lead. If you are concerned about elevated lead levels in your home’s water, you may wish to test the water. Just give us a call at (978) 318-3250 and we will walk you through all the details on sample collection, trusted labs and available programs.

You can use any Massachusetts Certified Drinking Water Laboratory. The Town of Concord recommends you use a certified lab that processes water samples from both private (homeowners/commercial) and municipal customers as we have found some that take only private customers provide misleading information and upsell testing.

If you know lead is present in your drinking water (from a water test), if you have pipes or plumbing fixtures that contain lead, or if you don’t know the material type, you can take steps to minimize potential lead exposure until all sources of lead have been removed.

• Use only cold water for drinking and cooking - Before drinking, flush the water system by running the tap until the water is cold to the touch, especially if you have not used the water for a few hours. The longer water remains standing in a lead pipe, the greater the chance lead can leach into the water.
• Flush the pipes - Let the water run to bring in fresh water that has not been standing in the pipes. Flushing times can vary based on the internal plumbing configuration. Once fresh water has been obtained, bottle it and stick it in your refrigerator for ready use later on. 
• Put a bottle of water in the refrigerator at night for later use.
• Regularly clean your faucet aerator - Particles containing lead from solder or household plumbing can become trapped in your faucet aerator. Regularly cleaning aerators every few months will remove these particles and reduce your exposure to lead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbJGwQIWhBM
• Replace faucets and fixtures containing lead (manufactured prior to 2014).
• Replace your private lead water service.

Most faucets purchased prior to 1997 were constructed of brass or chrome-plated brass, which contain up to 8 percent lead (the main metals in brass are copper and zinc). Water sitting for several hours or overnight in a brass faucet can leach lead from the brass faucet interior which may produce high lead levels in the first draw of drinking water. Later regulations mandated that most faucets purchased after 1997 contain less lead than previously used thereby reducing the possible leaching of lead; however, the most recent legislation, called “Get the Lead Out,” mandates that after January 4, 2014 all faucets purchased will contain no more than a weighted average of 0.25 percent lead in relation to wetted surface.

Responding to recent regulations, faucet manufacturers have decreased or eliminated the lead in residential kitchen faucets, bathroom faucets, bar faucets, drinking fountains, and icemakers. Starting January 4, 2014, all faucets will be produced with no more than a weighted average of 0.25 percent lead with respect to the wetted surface. The national standard for certifying plumbing fixtures "lead free" status is determined by the National Sanitary Foundation (NSF) - the standard is International Standard 61-Section 9. New faucets meeting the NSF 61 standard will have NSF 61/9 stamped on the new faucet’s cardboard box. For more information on lead-free fixtures including catalogs and website directories, contact NSF at 1-800-NSF-MARK or www.nsf.org.

Some faucet manufactures produce plastic faucets that have virtually zero lead. Other manufactures are substituting other metals for the lead in the brass, inserting copper tubes inside the brass faucets, or applying special coatings on the inside of the faucets in order to minimize or eliminate lead leaching. With the recent legislation, more and more faucet manufacturers are advertising faucets that adhere to the new “lead-free” definition which allows a maximum of 0.25 percent lead.

In extreme cases, older faucets can contribute up to one-third of the lead in water that has been sitting in the pipes for several hours, with the remainder coming from other plumbing such as pre-1988 lead solder joints in copper pipes or a lead service line. Residents who let the water run at the tap in the morning for one minute and use cold water for cooking should have little concern with respect to lead in the drinking water. If residents are still concerned, they can have their water tested.

Federal and State lead regulations do not cover any pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fittings, or fixtures, that are used exclusively for nonpotable services like manufacturing, industrial processing, irrigation, outdoor watering (hoses), or other uses where the water is not anticipated to be used for human consumption. This includes toilets, bidets, urinals, fill valves, flushometer valves, tub fillers, shower valves, service saddles, or water distribution main gate valves that are two inches in diameter or larger.

Since the year 2014, all kitchen faucets sold in Massachusetts have been ultra-low lead and when any water fixtures and fittings intended to convey drinking water are replaced, they must be replaced with ultra-low lead products (containing no more than 0.25% lead). Be sure that only valves and filters intended for drinking water supply are used in any home plumbing project where you may be consuming the water.

The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) advises that filters certified as NSF-053 effectively reduce lead in water. The NSF certification logo should be visible on the packaging. These filters can remove up to 99 percent of the lead.

For additional information please visit the webpage below for the USEPA’s Consumer Tool for Identifying Point-of-Use and Pitcher Filters Certified to Reduce Lead in Drinking Water

https://www.epa.gov/water-research/consumer-tool-identifying-point-use-and-pitcher-filters-certified-reduce-lead

Note: EPA changes weblink addresses frequently – if this link is broken please email us and search for “Consumer Tool for Identifying Point-of-Use and Pitcher Filters Certified to Reduce Lead in Drinking Water”

Yes, just give us a call at 978-318-3250. Concord Water is willing to share any information we have regarding this service. If you are leaving a message, please make sure to leave your name, number and the location of interest so we can respond (and log the inquiry) accordingly. 

Lead is not present in measurable quantities at the Town’s source of supplies.  Lead that is detected is introduced into your tap water through corrosion of lead service lines or building plumbing materials.  In Concord prior to the 1930’s, lead was used for exterior plumbing connections and can be found in older buildings. If the service line at your property is made of lead, you are encouraged to replace it or take steps to reduce the risk from lead in drinking water.  There is also proposed Massachusetts legislation to require the disclosure of lead in water pipes to prospective purchasers of premises.   

Yes. Bathing and showering should be safe for you and your children, even if the water contains lead over EPA’s action level. Human skin does not absorb lead in water.

The Water Department currently samples sites throughout Town for both lead and copper.  Please visit https://www.concordma.gov/1859/Lead-and-Copper-Rule for the most recent test results.

Read Concord’s Water's most recent annual water quality report at https://concordma.gov/wqreport, which provides an general overview of drinking water quality in Concord, from the source to your tap.