Lead & Anaheim Water 

The water issues in Flint, Michigan in 2016 raised awareness of lead in drinking water. The lead issue in Flint, Michigan’s drinking water was a result of not controlling corrosive water and old house plumbing containing lead pipes. Anaheim has been regularly testing water within customer’s homes since 1993 in adherence with the Lead & Copper Rule, one of the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Primary Drinking Water Regulations. We pride ourselves on meeting all the regulatory requirements for lead in our drinking water system:

  • A city-wide test for lead was completed in 2021 by an independent laboratory. All results were in compliance with the Lead & Copper Rule.
  • Anaheim’s water supply does not contain lead and is non-corrosive.
  • Anaheim does not have any lead pipes in its distribution system.

 For more information on Anaheim’s water, view our Water Quality Report. 

Volunteer to Sample your Water

You may volunteer to be a water quality sample site for the next round of lead testing in 2024 by emailing waterquality@anaheim.net. If you have immediate concerns about lead in your drinking water and would like a water quality test, you may call us at 714-765-4556.

Q&A

What is lead and how is it used?

Lead is a naturally occurring element found in small amounts in the earth’s crust. Lead and lead compounds have been used in a wide variety of products found in and around our homes, including paint, ceramics, pipes and plumbing materials.

How is lead regulated?

Lead in water is regulated under both the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. EPA determines safe levels of chemicals in drinking water which do or may cause health problems. 

How is the lead tested in Anaheim?

Homeowners obtain samples from inside their homes after the water has not been used for at least 6 hours. The science behind this sampling method is that lead contamination is most likely to occur from corrosion from a homeowner’s plumbing system or fixtures. If the pipes are contaminated and the water is corrosive the first sample will have the most accumulation of toxins.

Anaheim’s water is consistently categorized as having non-aggressive corrosive characteristics, so the risk of lead leaching into the water is very minimal.

How does lead get into drinking water?

Lead can enter drinking water when service lines that contain lead corrode, especially where the water has high acidity or low mineral content that corrodes pipes and fixtures. Most Anaheim homes do not contain lead service lines.

The most common problem is with brass or chrome-plated brass faucets and fixtures with lead solder, from which significant amounts of lead can enter into the water. Homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes, fixtures and solder.

Since you cannot see, taste, or smell lead dissolved in water, testing is the only sure way of telling whether there are harmful quantities of lead in your drinking water.

Is there a safe level of lead in drinking water?

The Safe Drinking Water Act requires EPA to determine the level of contaminants in drinking water at which no adverse health effects are likely to occur with an adequate margin of safety. The Public Health Goal for lead is 0.2 parts per billion. This is about 1 drop of water in five Olympic sized swimming pools.

What are the health effects of lead?

Lead can affect almost every organ and system in your body. Children six years old and younger are most susceptible to the effects of lead because their growing bodies absorb more lead than adults do and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead.

For more information on lead, visit the EPA website.

Updated January 2024