Why does my county water report say there's lead in the water, but then go onto say something about......?

Question

This is the water quality report for my county.

http://www.hcwsa.com/water08.pdf

It says that there are 3.5 ppbs of lead in the water, but then it goes on to say that lead levels in the water are contingent upon individual household plumbing. How then can a consistent number be applied, then? Isn't the water devoid of lead as it comes out of the treatment facility?

I live in a newer house, which shouldn't have any lead in the plumbing or pipes whatsoever. I also have a whole-house water filter, though no idea on what kind.

Could my water have lead in it? Should I simply start exclusively drinking bottled water and taking showers only by necessity, as well as keeping them as short as possible and cold (so not to disburse the lead up into the hot steam that gets inhaled)..?

Answer 1

That's quite a low level of lead.  Sounds like you don't have a very old house with lead pipes.  Even if you have copper pipes soldered with lead, just avoid drinking the first water out of the pipes in the morning.  Lead does occur naturally, but Georgia and your neighboring states don't have major lead deposits.  Sounds like lead in your water isn't something you need to worry about.  Drink bottled water if you want, but you're getting some complex organic molecules from the plastic, and your incurring an environmental cost producing and disposing of the bottles.  Furthermore, where do you think bottled water comes from?  It's less regulated than your tap water.

Filters remove particulates, not organic or inorganic chemicals.  Your shower harm would be coming from chlorine added to control bacteria.  Your fluoride level in the test is low, but some communities add fluoride (a hazardous industrial waste) in the mistaken notion that it conveys a dental health benefit.

Answer 2

Lead is just found in nature anyway. There will always be a small amount in your drinking water, but as long as it is within certain levels it is safe to drink.

Even though you may have newer plumbing, others may have older style plumbing that is adding to the lead content of their water. Basically, the treament plant is telling you the content of contaminants in the water when it left the plan to go to your house, but what it picks up along the way depends on what kind of pipes it goes through along the way.

I know that there are a lot of people who do decide to drink only bottled water, some buy it from local grocery stores, others have it delivered to their house in big bottles. Whatever you feel would be best for you.  :-)

Answer 3

The CCR can only speak to the amount of lead in the water as it leaves the plant. Most lead in water comes from the solder used on copper pipes. I assume that your house is not old enough to have lead pipes. If your house has plastic lines, no lead should be added. Even if the pipes are copper, the solder gets a coating over it, keeping the lead from dissolving in the water. Between the low levels and the whole-house filter, you have nothing to worry about. Your tap water is probably purer than bottled water.