You are now leaving the City of College Station websiteloading

Lead in Drinking Water

Last item for navigation

Information About Lead and Copper Rule Revisions


In December 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced steps to strengthen the regulations on lead in drinking water. The new regulations are known as the Lead and Copper Rule Revision (LCRR). There are many changes, including identifying and removing lead service lines, changes to reporting sample results, and ensuring customers are notified of the health effects of lead.

Public water systems such as ours have been taking steps to protect consumers since the 1990s. The City of College Station understands that our customers may have questions about the safety of their drinking water. We have developed this page to answer some frequently asked questions and give you the latest information on College Station’s efforts to comply with updated regulations.



College Station ‘s Approach


It’s important to note that lead is not present in College Station’s source water, which is the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer, a protected aquifer 3,000 feet deep.

Prior to the most recent regulatory changes, the requirement was to conduct compliance sampling. After initial sampling showed test results well below regulatory limits, College Station was allowed to move from twice annual to triennial sampling schedule.

To complete the inventory of city-owned and private service lines by the October 2024 deadline, staff examined all available records and began to prioritize our close to 30,000 service lines for inspection. The Texas Lead Ban went into effect on July 1, 1988. If a structure was built after this date it is presumed to have non-lead service line materials such a copper or plastic. The City is working on identifying the service line material for all structures built before the lead ban within the City of College Stations Water Service Area. Operators are conducting on-site inspections to determine service line material where records are not available. To date we have classified material for a majority of service lines.


Water Service Line Inventory


The LCRR requires every water utility to develop and maintain a water service line inventory of every service line in the water distribution system, including both the utility owned (public) and customer owned (private) service lines. The city-owned portion of the service line runs from the water main to the meter, and the customer-owned portion runs from the meter to the entrance to the home. (see graphic)

Utilities also must then submit this Water Service Line Inventory to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and make it publicly available by October 16, 2024. The detail sheet from the City submittal on October 15th can be accessed here as a pdf. For the most user friendly and up to date information click here for the inventory in map form. This inventory will be updated as we continue to investigate and classify our service line material..

If, during the inventory of service lines, the utility determines that a customer is served by a lead or galvanized service line, either on the customer side or city side, the utility will notify these customers of the type of service line material as well as steps to take to reduce their exposure to lead. Utilities with known lead service lines will also be required to develop a lead service line replacement plan according to the new rules.

To identify the material of your own service line you may conduct a scratch and magnet test at your water meter, which is generally located at or near the property line. Using a tool such as a flathead screwdriver, scratch the service line to expose the material. A copper service line will look much like a penny. A lead pipe will be dull or gray in color, but shiny after being scratched. A magnet will stick to a galvanized service line, but will not stick to a copper or lead service line.


Sources of LEAD in Drinking Water


Image above: The image shows that the water utility owns the portion of the service line from the water main to the meter and the meter. The property owner owns the service line portion from the meter to the home or building.


Lead and Copper Testing Details


College Station conducted routine tap sampling for lead in 2022 and was in compliance with state and federal regulations. A single sample location exceeded the lead action level of 15 parts per billion (15 ppb). However, compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule is not based on single samples. Compliance is based on the highest 10 percent of results. Ninety percent of College Station’s lead samples detected 0.898 ppb of lead or less, which is well below the Action Level. Additionally, the TCEQ has decreased College Station’s testing schedule from every six months to every three years due to its history of testing results registering well below regulatory limits. College Station will conduct the next round of routine tap sampling in 2025.


How to Reduce Exposure to Lead in Drinking Water


College Station takes pride in providing high-quality drinking water but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components found in homes and other buildings. Lead can dissolve into water from service line pipes, private plumbing pipes, solder, fixtures, faucets (brass) and fittings. When lead is present in plumbing components, there are simple things you can do to reduce your exposure.


  • Run the COLD tap before use – Lead levels are usually at their highest after the water has been sitting in the pipe for several hours. This water can be cleared from pipes by running cold water for several minutes, allowing you to draw fresh water. You can use this water for house plants or to flush toilets.
  • Use cold water for cooking and drinking – Always cook and prepare baby formula with cold water, because hot water dissolves materials more quickly, resulting in higher levels of potential metal contaminants.
  • Remove and clean faucet aerators. Sediment and lead particles can be trapped by the screen on the end of faucets.
  • Replace all lead plumbing components. Homes and businesses without lead service lines could still have other plumbing components that contain lead, such as lead piping, brass or chrome-plated brass faucets, galvanized pipes or lead solder. When purchasing replacement plumbing products, make sure the products have been tested and certified to “lead-free” standards. Look for plumbing products that are certified as compliant with Standard NSF/ANSI 61 and/or 372. These products are certified to meet the lead-free requirement.
  • Water filters: if you use a “point of use” filter certified for lead removal, be sure the model selected is certified by an independent testing organization to reduce or eliminate lead (NSF/ANSI standard 53 for lead removal and NSF/ANSI standard 42 for particulate removal).


Resources for More Information:

Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791) or at www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. Additional information is available at these links as well:  



Frequently Asked Questions

What is lead?

Lead is a chemical element and a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead can be found in air, soil, dust, pottery, food and water, and is harmful when inhaled or swallowed. 

Why is lead in drinking water a concern?

Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components in service lines and home plumbing. Exposure to lead can cause serious health effects in all age groups. Infants and children can have decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposure can lead to new learning and behavior problems or exacerbate existing learning and behavior problems. The children of women who are exposed to lead before or during pregnancy can have increased risk of these adverse health effects. Adults can have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney, or nervous system problems.

What do the icons on the inventory map mean?

A close inspection of the legend for our map shows circles in one or two colors. The dividing line separates the public material (owned by the utility) and the private material (customer responsibility). Customers with confirmed lead, galvanized, or unknown service lines material on either side of the water meter will receive notification from College Station regarding their service line status. All properties with structures built after 1988 do not provide a status icon since they are all presumed to have non-lead service lines on both the public and private side.

A picture describing the legend that accompanies the Lead Service Line Inventory (LSLI) map. 


Is my home at risk for lead plumbing?

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency defines high-risk homes as follows:

  • Homes with a lead service line that connects the water main to your home’s internal plumbing;
  • Homes with copper pipe and lead solder built before 1988, when the Texas Lead Ban went into effect;
  • Homes with lead pipes; and
  • Older brass fixtures, such as faucets, valves and fittings, which also may contain lead.

In 1986, Congress enacted the “lead ban,” which stated that not only public water systems, but also anyone else who intends to install or repair drinking water plumbing connected to a public water system, must use “lead free materials.” As a result, homes built in or after 1988 are far less likely to have lead solder.

Contact Information
Alex Wade
[email protected]
979-764-5073
Daniel Yeager
[email protected]
979-764-6312
Jennifer Nations
[email protected]
979-764-6223

Water Tower at Night

City of College Station | All Rights Reserved | Powered by CivicLive | © 2025 Civiclive.