Frequently Asked Questions

What is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) enhanced Lead and Copper Rule?

The EPA’s enhanced Lead and Copper Rule is an important national public health initiative to remove lead from America’s drinking water. While WSSC Water removed all known lead pipes within our distribution system in the early 2000s, this multi-year EPA rule focuses on identifying pipe materials, including those that are customer owned, on private property.

As part of this effort, WSSC Water has extensively reviewed plumbing records dating back more than 100 years and created an inventory of the materials used for utility- and customer-owned water service lines. WSSC Water banned the use of lead as a water service line construction material in 1954. The likelihood of finding a lead service line is low. Over 96 percent of customer-owned water service lines in the WSSC Water service area are not lead.  

What is a water service line? 

A water service line is the pipe that carries water from WSSC Water’s water main to your property. A portion of the water service line is utility owned while the other portion is customer owned.  

View the materials in WSSC Water’s Service Line Inventory.  

Learn about WSSC Water’s Lead Reduction Program known as What’s Your Pipe Type?  

Who should verify their pipe type?

WSSC Water customers with water service line material believed to be lead, Galvanized Requiring Replacement (GRR) or unknown will receive a letter in the mail by mid-November containing detailed information about how to verify their water service line material and important next steps. All WSSC Water customers are welcome to type their address into our user-friendly inventory map to view their water service line material.

What is Galvanized Requiring Replacement?

GRR is a galvanized service line that is or ever was downstream of a lead service line or is currently downstream of an unknown service line. View a graphical description of GRR.

What does WSSC Water do to prevent lead from entering my drinking water?

WSSC Water carefully filters and expertly treats all drinking water to ensure safety and quality.  

Water leaving our filtration plants is free of lead. To minimize the risk of lead dissolving into the water from plumbing materials, we add a corrosion inhibitor, orthophosphate, to the water supply to create a protective coating on the inside of pipes (including those on the customer's property).  

For more than 106 years, WSSC Water has taken proactive steps to ensure water quality and safety. These public safety measures are showing clear results. Our water meets all the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Act standards. We have never had a drinking water quality violation in our history. Additionally, in our latest round of lead and copper testing from homes throughout our service area, our results were well below the action levels set by the EPA. View the results and read our latest Water Quality Report.  

What steps can I take to reduce my exposure to lead? 

Use a filter certified by an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited certifier to reduce lead, which is effective in reducing lead exposure (ANSI 53).  

Clean your faucet aerator to get rid of sediment, debris, and possible lead particles.    

Use cold water for drinking, cooking, and preparing baby formula, as lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Note: Boiling water does not remove lead.  

Run the cold-water tap for approximately five minutes after water sits six hours or longer before use to flush water through the service line and plumbing. Taking a shower, running the dishwasher, or flushing the toilet will also flush your lines.

For more information on Lead, visit EPA’s website at epa.gov/lead.  

What happens if I have a lead service line?

If WSSC Water verifies that your water service line material contains lead, we strongly recommend replacing this line. We plan to begin replacing lead service lines in 2025, ahead of the EPA requirement of 2027. Our goal is to complete all lead service line replacements by the EPA requirement date of 2037. If you plan to replace the portion of the water service line that you own (customer side), please notify us as the EPA requires that we replace the utility-owned water service line. We are also developing a financial assistance program to aid in the cost of replacing the customer-owned portion of the water service line and will post more information on our website once plans are finalized.