What is the government doing about the problem of lead in household water?
• Under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act, EPA set the action level for lead in drinking water at 15 ppb. This means utilities must ensure that water from the customer’s tap does not exceed this level in at least 90 percent of the homes sampled. If water from the tap does exceed this limit, then the utility must take certain steps to correct the problem. Utilities must also notify citizens of all violations of the standard. • In June 1986, President Reagan signed amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act. These amendments require the use of “lead-free” pipe, solder, and flux in the installation or repair of any public water system, or any plumbing in a residential or non-residential facility connected to a public water system.Under the provisions of these amendments, solders and flux will be considered “lead-free” when they contain not more than 0.2 percent lead. (In the past, solder normally contained about 50 percent lead.) Pipes and fittings will be considered “lead-free”
