If your home was built before 1950, you may have a service line made of lead. A service line is the pipe connecting your water meter to the city water main pipe near the street. Service lines belong to the property owner. For homes with lead service lines, the service line typically contributes the greatest percentage of lead to the tap water.
Before 1960, galvanized iron or steel service lines were often used to connect homes to the City’s water system. Galvanized service lines were made with a small amount of lead in the pipe’s zinc coating. This zinc coating can be a source of lead, but galvanized service lines can release more lead if your service line also contains, or previously contained, a lead pipe. If water flows through a lead pipe before moving through galvanized pipes, the water can transfer the lead from the lead pipe to the galvanized pipes. This process adds lead to the corroded inside walls of the galvanized service line, making it lead-contaminated. When pieces of the corrosion scale break loose from the lead-contaminated galvanized service line, lead is released into the water in varying amounts. Even after the lead portion of the service line is replaced, the corrosion scale inside of a galvanized service line can still be a source of lead.
Before 1960, galvanized pipes were often used in homes. Galvanized iron or steel pipes were made with a small amount of lead in their zinc coating. This zinc coating can be a source of lead, but galvanized pipes can release more lead if your home or business has, or had, a lead service line. If water flows through a lead pipe before moving through galvanized pipes, the water can transfer the lead from the lead pipe to the galvanized pipes. This process adds lead to the corroded inside walls of the galvanized pipes. When pieces of the corrosion scale break loose from the galvanized pipes, lead is released into the water in varying amounts. Even after a lead service line is replaced, the corrosion scale inside of the galvanized pipes can still be a source of lead.
If your home was built before 1950, you may have lead pipes inside your home. Lead pipes inside of a home are usually short pieces of pipe and the majority of the original plumbing is galvanized pipe.
Almost all faucets, fixtures, and fittings have brass components. The ban on “high‐lead” plumbing materials did not apply to plumbing fittings, fixtures, and faucets until 1998. In 2014, the amount of lead allowed in these plumbing components was further reduced, from 8 percent to 0.25 percent. Faucets made in 2014 or later are considered lead‐free by today’s tougher standards.
Solder connects pipes in household plumbing. In Nebraska, lead solder was used in household plumbing until 1988. For homes with copper pipes and lead solder, the good news is that lead solder’s ability to add lead to water decreases over time. This is because minerals in the water, like calcium, form a coating on the inside of the pipes. This mineral layer protects the water from the lead in the solder. However, improper electrical grounding or mismatched metals could cause corrosion and lead release and should be fixed.
Flush out any water that has been sitting for more than a few hours in pipes with lead solder to bring in fresh water for drinking and cooking.
Definition: Service Line - a pipe connecting a home or building to a water system main pipe. In Lincoln, the owner of the property owns the service line.