Lead and Copper Sampling Program

Southlake's water supply does not typically contain measurable amounts of naturally occurring lead or copper. The characteristic of water, however, can dissolve or corrode lead and copper through contact with water service lines, interior pipes, and plumbing features. These materials include lead-based solder used to join copper pipe, brass, and chrome-plated brass faucets, and in some cases, pipes made of lead that connect houses and buildings to water mains. 

Please contact us for information about sampling for lead and copper in your home.

Lead solder on pipe joint

Why is This Testing Important?

Lead is a common metal found throughout the environment in lead-based paint, air, soil, household dust, food, and water as well as certain types of pottery, porcelain, and pewter.  Lead can pose significant health risks if too much of it enters your body. Lead builds up in the body over many years and can cause damage to the brain, red blood cells and kidneys. The greatest risk is to young children and pregnant women. Amounts of lead that will not harm adults can slow the mental and physical development of growing bodies. 

Homes and buildings constructed prior to 1986 are more at risk of lead becoming dissolved in water because lead was commonly used in residential and commercial building plumbing systems. This testing helps the City gauge the risk of people who live in older homes in consuming lead and copper.

Reducing Lead Exposure

Although the City does not have lead in pipes in the streets, lead can exist in home plumbing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed prevention tips for lead in water for those with lead in their home plumbing and cannot remove the pipe. Follow this recommendation, especially if no water has been used in the home in 6 or more hours:

  1. Before using tap water for drinking or cooking, run a high-volume tap (such as a shower) on cold for 5 minutes or more.
  2. Then, run the kitchen tap for 1 - 2 minutes more.
  3. Fill a clean container with water from the kitchen tap and use accordingly.

 Southlake's Compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR)


Every year, in accordance with Lead and Copper Rule monitoring requirements, the City works with a select group of 30 customers, previously approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Each of those customers collects a sample from the cold water tap in the kitchen or bathroom and submits it to the City for analysis of lead and copper by a state-certified laboratory. The laboratory results of all Southlake customer samples are collectively used to determine compliance for the water system overall.

Results for Lead and Copper Sampling


The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) consider public water systems to be in compliance if the laboratory results for 90% of the samples collected (90th percentile) are below 15 parts per billion (ppb) for lead and are below 1.3 parts per million (ppm) for copper. Below is a table of Southlake's sampling results for lead in parts per billion (ppb) and copper in parts per million (ppm).
Southlake's Lead and Copper Sampling Results
Year
Lead Level
Copper Level
Compliance
2007
4.40 ppb
0.828 ppm
Yes
2010
2.86 ppb
0.590 ppm
Yes
2013
4.67 ppb
0.770 ppm
Yes
2014
4.40 ppb
0.870 ppm
Yes
2015
8.00 ppb
0.600 ppm
Yes
2016
2.60 ppb
0.780 ppm
Yes
2017
2.60 ppb
0.700 ppm
Yes
2018
3.40 ppb
0.860 ppm
Yes
2019
3.30 ppb
0.860 ppm
Yes
2020
2.90 ppb
0.760 ppm
Yes
The levels reported above are the 90th percentiles, or 90 percent of the results from the 30 samples, fell below this level. 10 percent of the homes sampled did have lead or copper levels above the reported level.
  1. Where does lead and copper found in drinking water come from?
  2. How does lead and copper from pipes get into my drinking water?
  3. Why is lead and copper testing important?
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