Effect of community water service on lead in drinking water in an environmental justice community

Abstract

Multiple recent studies have found elevated lead (Pb) concentrations in tap water in U.S. homes relying on unregulated private wells. The main Pb source is dissolution from household plumbing, fixtures, and well components. Here, we leverage a natural experiment and citizen science approach to evaluate how extending community water service to an environmental justice community relying on private wells affects Pb in household water. We analyzed Pb in 260 first-draw kitchen tap water samples collected by individual homeowners over a 5-month period in residences that did and did not connect to the community system. Before the community water system was extended, 25% of homes had Pb > 15 mu g/L (the U.S. regulatory action level for community water systems) in first-draw water samples. Pb was significantly correlated with nickel (rho = 0.61), zinc (rho = 0.50), and copper (rho = 0.40), suggesting that corrosion of brass fittings and fixtures is the main Pb source. Among homes that connected to the community system, Pb decreased rapidly and was sustained at levels well below 15 mu g/L over the study period. Overall, connecting to the municipal water supply was associated with a 92.5% decrease in first-draw tap water Pb.