Protecting drinking water from lead sources is the shared responsibility of DC Water and the property owner. DC Water strongly encourages residents to identify and replace any lead pipes or plumbing materials serving their home, especially lead service lines.
Lead service lines were predominately installed prior to the mids in the District of Columbia, but there are records of lead service lines being installed as late as You can use our service line map to see if your property has, or might have, a lead service line.
However, much of the service line pipe material data is based on the historic records and not confirmed. The water service line coming into many homes can help identify or confirm the pipe material. Click here to learn more about Identifying Lead or use this guide to assist with pipe material identification.
Service pipes can consist of many different materials. Typical service pipe materials include lead, galvanized steel, plastic, brass and copper as shown below:. You can identify your pipe material by checking your household water service connection inside the home, typically located in the basement. You can also contact a licensed plumber to inspect your pipes, but they will likely do the same assessment as described in the guide and videos. If you have a lead service pipe, we encourage you to take advantage of our lead service pipe replacement program.
Click here to learn more. If you are able to determine your type of service line material, please send a photograph and your identification of the material to leadtest dcwater.
