What’s in it for me?

1. The database—and this web page—are intended as a first step to understanding and minimizing the effects of lead in drinking water on your personal health.  This effort starts close to home—your water tap.  

2. While the quality of the water we distribute is similar in many ways for all of our customers, lead and copper are two parameters that may vary from one customer to the next.   This is because water may absorb these metals if they are present in the service line and plumbing of each building.   What’s in your water may not be the same as your neighbors’ water.

3. The City has determined that there is no significant lead in the nearly 6,000 water service lines maintained by the City.  Service lines from the meter to a structure are privately owned and are the Customer’s responsibility; the material of these lines is more difficult to identify from records research.  Our review indicates that all but about 1,000 customer-side service lines are lead-free.   While we suspect these service lines are also lead-free, we are unaware of the materials used.

Find out what material your water service line is composed of:

All service line materials must be grouped into four classes:  lead, galvanized downstream of lead, unknown, and non-lead.  Arlington’s preliminary inventory includes no lead services lines, and no galvanized service lines downstream of lead materials for any customers. All service lines are either non-lead or composed of unknown materials.  (Although not exhaustive, extensive installation records and a supply inventory since 1961 are consistently void of references to lead pipes and lead connectors used in services of any kind in the City.  Therefore, while the City must report service line records with Unknown materials, we also report these materials as “Unknown, but Unlikely Lead”.)

When you access the database, you will see a map with many icons representing each water customer served by the City, and a legend indicating the overall status of the service line—if either the City-side or the Customer-side service is unknown, the entire service line is classified as unknown.

You can zoom in to your neighborhood or browse the City or type your address into the search bar.   You may find a map view such as the one below.  Blue squares represent non-lead service lines on both sides of the meter.  Gray diamonds represent unknown materials on at least one side of the meter. The two black circles within the diamonds and squares represent validation of each service line, this will be updated when the material of the service is confirmed.

Click on the symbol for your property of interest.  A pop-up window displays a summary of the inventory.

Self-inspection and Reporting Tool

If you are the owner of a structure with an unknown customer-side service line, or if you believe the database contains incorrect information, we need you to complete a service line inventory form online.  The form provides a self-guided tool for inspecting and reporting customer-side service line materials. Access the self-inspection and reporting tool here Self-inspection and Reporting Tool Self-inspection and Reporting Tool.  

Finding Your Service Line

• Typical locations include interior walls of the: garage, basement, crawl space, utility room, mechanical room, or janitorial closet. The service line usually enters the side of the house closest to your water meter.
• The pipe may protrude from and re-enter the wall, or you may see only a knob and valve on the enclosed wall. It may or may not be visible from the outside.
• Do not check the pipes visible under sinks where they connect to faucets.
• If your service line is not visible, contact the City for guidance at 360-403-3526.

Key to Identifying Service Line Materials

Typical Materials:	Galvanized Iron/Steal	Copper	Plastic	Lead
Photo Key:
Does a Magnet stick to it?	Yes	No	No	No
What color is it?	Dull gray, or rusty	New penny, dull brown, bluish-green	Black, blue, white, possible lettering	Dull, silver-gray
Is scratches with a coin or key. (do not hit or pierce)	With difficulty	Fairly easily; scratch is shiny like a new penny	Not easily	Easily; scratch is shiny like a new nickel
Using a ruler, the outside diameter is?	1" to 2"	1/2" to 1"	1 1/2" to 2"	Varies; has a larger diameter bulb near end

Health Effects of Lead

Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups.  There is no safe blood lead level that has been identified for young children.  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.” [40 CFR § 141.85(a)(1)(ii)]

How do I reduce my exposure to lead in drinking water?

The best way for you to know your risk of exposure is to identify the potential sources of lead in service lines and household plumbing.  If you suspect there may be lead in your drinking water, follow these steps to minimize your exposure.

1. Know the materials used in your water service line and your internal plumbing.
2. Run your water for about one minute) prior to drinking or cooking.
3. Use cold water when hot water is not needed.
4. Clean your faucet aerator to remove sediment.
5. Have your water tested at any of the labs that accept public samples.
6. Use a filter certified to remove lead and maintain it properly.
7. Replace your customer-side water service line and any plumbing fixtures found to contain lead.

Resources

City of Arlington

 Other Sources

• Washington Department of Health:  https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/drinking-water/contaminants/lead
• Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative:  https://www.lslr-collaborative.org
• Center for Disease Control (CDC):  https://www.cdc.gov/lead-prevention/prevention/drinking-water.html
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):  https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water
• Department of Ecology Water Testing Lab Database: https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/laboratorysearch/SearchCommercialLab.aspx