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1. How does lead get into tap water?

Steps taken during the last two decades have reduced exposures to lead in tap water. These steps include actions taken under requirements of the 1986 and 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Actexternal icon and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Lead and Copper Ruleexternal icon. Even so, lead in water can come from homes with lead service lines that connect the home to the main water line.  Homes without lead service lines may still have brass or chrome-plated brass faucets, galvanized iron pipes or other plumbing soldered with lead. Some drinking water fountains with lead-lined tanks and other plumbing fixtures not intended for drinking water (e.g., lab faucets, hoses, spigots, hand washing sinks) may also have lead in the water.

Lead can enter drinking water when a chemical reaction occurs in plumbing materials that contain lead. This is known as corrosion – dissolving or wearing away of metal from the pipes and fixtures. This reaction is more severe when water has high acidity or low mineral content. How much lead enters the water is related to:

• the acidity or alkalinity of the water,
• the types and amounts of minerals in the water,
• the amount of lead that water comes into contact with,
• the water temperature,
• the amount of wear in the pipes,
• how long the water stays in pipes, and
• the presence of protective scales or coatings in the pipes.

Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention

2. How can I protect myself from lead in water?

The State of Michigan recommends the following ways to protect yourself from lead water:

Flush your pipes before using your water.

If you have not used your water for several hours, flushing your pipes may reduce the amount of soluble (dissolved) lead in your drinking water. 

To flush the pipes in your home, do any of the following for at least five minutes:

• Turn a faucet on all the way.
• Take a shower.
• Run a load of laundry.
• Run your dishwasher.

After flushing your home’s water, run the water from individual faucets on cold for 1-2 minutes before using the water for drinking or cooking.

Using a filter can reduce lead in drinking water.

Both particulate and soluble lead can be safely removed from drinking water by using a water filter certified to reduce lead in drinking water. Look for filters that are tested and certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for lead reduction.  Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to install the filter and maintain it. For help choosing a filter, use the EPA guidance tool.

Use cold filtered or flushed water for:

• Drinking, cooking, or rinsing food.
• Mixing powdered infant formula.
• Brushing your teeth.

Do not use hot water for drinking or cooking.

• Do not cook with or drink water from the hot water tap. Lead dissolves more easily into hot water.

Clean your aerator.

• Aerators (the mesh screens on your sink faucet) can trap pieces of particulate lead. 
• Clean your drinking water faucet aerator at least every 6 months.
• If there is construction or repairs to the public water system or pipes near your home, clean your drinking water faucet aerator every month until the work is done.

Replace plumbing, pipes, and faucets that may add lead into your drinking water. 

Older faucets, fittings, and valves sold before 2014 may contain up to 8 percent lead, even if marked “lead-free.”  Replace faucets with products manufactured in 2014 or later and are certified to contain 0.25% lead or less.

Guidance for reducing potential lead exposure from drinking water (English & Spanish)

Source: Michigan.gov

3. Is there a simple way to see if I have lead service line in my home?

National Public Radio (NPR) has developed a website that allows you to determine whether your drinking water is at risk in a few simple steps. 

We are asking residents to use the tool and report the results to the Royal Oak Department of Public Services.

Click here to get started.

4. What are health concerns from lead exposure?

Children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to the effects of lead exposure. Lead exposure can cause premature birth, reduce birth weight, delay physical and mental development in babies and young children, and cause learning disabilities in children. In adults, lead exposure can cause serious damage to the brain, nervous system, kidneys, and red blood cells. Lifetime exposure to high levels of lead can potentially cause stroke or kidney disease.

Source: Oakland County Health Division

5. What is the city doing about this issue?

The city has multiple strategies for working on this issue, which include:

Sharing information. Through this advisory and other community engagement efforts, the city is committed to sharing information that can help residents understand sources of lead in tap water, its potential health effects, and how to reduce exposure to it.

Increasing sampling. The city will double its community sampling efforts over the next year in order to provide additional information to the state.

Locating lead. In order to build an accurate inventory of lead service lines, the Department of Public Services is encouraging homeowners to report their service line materials through an online form. The online form can be found at romi.gov/wsld

Removing lead. Starting next year, the city will begin replacing lead service lines at a rate of 7% per year.

6. Where can I get my water tested?

You cannot see, smell, or taste lead in drinking water. If you suspect that your home’s plumbing or faucets could contain lead or lead-based solder, you should have your water tested. Testing your water for lead is the only way to know if it is there. If you are on a municipal water system, your water is tested for lead and other potential contaminants. A Consumer Confidence Report that includes testing results is sent annually to water users. You can obtain a copy of your report by contacting your water supplier. If the lead is above 15 parts per billion (ppb) in municipal water supply, the supplier is required to inform the public. A list of laboratories that test for lead can be found here: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/Lead__Copper_Lab_Certs_526434_7.pdf 

Contact a testing lab before having your water tested to confirm that they can test for lead, and obtain specific instructions for how you will collect, store, and transport the sample(s) you get from your home. There is a cost for having drinking water tested. 

The Oakland County Health Division Laboratory also tests water for lead and copper for county residents. (Water source must be IN OAKLAND COUNTY)

Royal Oak residents can purchase a bottle for testing from one of the County office locations during normal business hours. Their address and phone numbers are:

• North Oakland Health Center 1200 N. Telegraph Rd. Pontiac, MI 48341 (248) 858-1280
• South Oakland Center 27725 Greenfield Rd. Southfield, MI 48076 (248) 424-7000

The cost for the bottle and drinking water analysis is $24.

The results of the analysis will be mailed within 10-14 business days.

7. What educational resources are available?

The State of Michigan has a website called Mi Lead Safe that includes many resources.

8. What does this “Action Level” exceedance and advisory mean?

Per the Lead and Copper Rule of the Michigan Safe Drinking Water Act, the city is required to periodically sample a number of water taps throughout its system for lead concentration levels. In 2018, the sampling protocol for this routine sampling changed to require multiple samples at each sample location and to exclusively target locations served by lead service lines. The intention of this change was to better detect lead.

According to the rule, if approximately 10% of sites sampled indicate lead concentrations of 15 parts-per-billion (ppb) or greater, the city is required to:

• advise water customers of the results
• provide tips on how to reduce lead exposure
• increase community-wide sampling

Eight of the 30 locations tested during the most recent monitoring period exceeded the 15 ppb ‘Action Level’ threshold, triggering the current advisory. The city’s 90th percentile value for lead concentrations among sites tested was 23 ppb.

9. Where can I get information to better understand drinking water filters?

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has detailed information to help you understand certification marks as well as terminology regarding drinking water filters.  Click here for flyer.

10. Can you explain how to use a PUR faucet filter that is certified to reduce lead in drinking water?

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has this flyer that explains what an aerator does and steps you can take to help keep it clean.  

11. I've heard my drinking water faucet has an aerator. What is it?

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has this flyer that explains what an aerator does and steps you can take to help keep it clean.    

12. Can my home be part of the community-wide sampling plan?

The Department of Public Services already has a list of sampling locations it uses for compliance testing. To the extent possible, the sampling rules require the city to resample previous sites during each monitoring period. Therefore, the department is limited in its ability to add additional locations.

By submitting your service line inspection results on the city’s website, you’ll be added to our records. Should additional sites be needed for testing, staff will seek volunteers from this list, in needed.

To determine if your home has a lead water service line please go to: romi.gov/wsld

13. Who do I contact for more information?

For more detailed information on Lead contamination please visit: 

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  
• Oakland County Health Division
• United States Environmental Protection Agency
• Michigan Department of Environmental Quality