Lead in Well Water
Lead almost never comes from the aquifer. It comes from solder, brass and old fixtures, pulled into the water by low pH or soft water sitting in the pipes overnight. There is no safe level for children, and the fix is often cheap.
Likely causes
- Lead solder in pre-1988 copper plumbing
- Brass faucets valves and well components made before 2014
- Corrosive low-pH water
- Old lead-packed pump parts
Tests to order
- Lead first-draw and flushed samples
- pH
- Copper
- Alkalinity
Treatment options
- Flush the tap before use
- Acid neutralizer to stop corrosion
- NSF 53 certified filter at the tap
- Replace lead-bearing fixtures and solder joints
Two samples tell the whole story
Take the first water out of the kitchen tap after at least six hours of no use; that is the first-draw sample and it shows what your fixtures and pipes add overnight. Then run the tap two full minutes and take a flushed sample; that shows the well and the main lines. Lead only in the first draw means the faucet, its supply lines or nearby solder. Lead in both means the corrosion is happening throughout the house, and the pH result will usually be under 6.5.
There is no acceptable number for kids
The federal action level is 15 ppb, but health agencies are clear that no level is safe for children, whose development is affected at very low doses. A pregnancy or a child under six in the house makes any detectable lead a same-week problem.
Cheap fix, then the real one
Today: use only cold water for drinking and cooking, flush the tap 30 seconds before use, and put an NSF 53 lead-certified filter on the kitchen tap, $30 to $150. This month: if pH is low, install a neutralizer so the water stops dissolving metal, $600 to $1,500. Then replace the faucet and any brass shutoffs older than 2014 with lead-free parts. Check the well: some older pumps and pitless adapters used leaded brass, and a pump installer can swap them.
Does boiling remove lead?
No. It concentrates it.
Why is lead higher in the bathroom than the kitchen?
Bathroom faucets are used less and water sits in them longer, and older bathrooms often have the oldest brass.