Lead Testing in Drinking Water
The City of Highland Park is in full compliance with all State and Federal regulations governing the control of lead and copper within public drinking water supplies. If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing.
To minimize contamination resulting from corrosion, Highland Park has implemented a corrosion control program that has been in place for 26 years. This incorporates an EPA recommended corrosion control treatment at the Water Treatment Plant and periodic testing of selected homes to measure treatment effectiveness. The City of Highland Park complies with all sampling regulations, including those that are directed towards single-family dwellings.
There are two major lead sampling events in Highland Park:
Annual Lead Testing of City-Ownded Buildings
EPA Lead Program Testing
Homeowners should be aware of three potential sources of lead in drinking water. In order of importance, they are: lead service lines, lead-tin solder joined copper pipes installed prior to 1986, and brass water contact surfaces of faucets. Lead service lines are typically only present in older homes built prior to 1940. Those homes may still have a lead service line. The three main preventative measures to ensure the water in your home is lead-free are to flush your piping, test your water, and identify your service line material. A certified plumber can confirm if a lead service line is present, check for lead solders in internal pipes, and look for water fixtures containing lead.
For more detailed information, please see the link understanding the issues of lead in drinking water.
If you are concerned about lead exposure, you can have the water in your home tested for lead. The City of Highland Park Water Treatment Plant laboratory is not certified for metals analysis. Please see the link of accredited labs for lead testing for a list of laboratories that can test residential water samples.
Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the State Drinking Water Hotline 1-800-426-4791 or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.
Questions can be directed to the Water Plant at waterplant@cityhpil.com or 847.433.4355.