What can I do to reduce lead levels?
If your home has lead pipes there are some simple short-term measures you can take:
• Do not drink water that has been standing in the pipes for long periods, for example, over
night, or if no one has run the taps for several hours.
• In these circumstances, draw off a washing-up bowlful of water from the kitchen tap to
clear the water which has been standing in the pipes. This need not be wasted but can be
used on the garden or for something other than drinking or cooking.
You can then use the water from the kitchen tap as usual.
In the longer term, the only way to completely reduce lead levels would be to replace all the lead
pipework in your home and the service pipe, if it is made of lead.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR PIPEWORK
Your home is connected to the water main in the road by a small diameter service pipe. There
will be a stop tap on this pipe, in a chamber near the boundary of your property with the road
– usually in the footpath. There may also be a water meter in this chamber.
The part of the service pipe which links the water main in the street to the boundary of your
property belongs to the water company and is their responsibility to maintain.
The part of the service pipe leading from the boundary of your property to the point where it
enters your home is your responsibility, as the homeowner, along with all the internal plumbing.
Any leak in your front garden or under your drive is likely therefore to be your responsibility to
repair. Many water companies will however provide some help with repairs on the customer’s
part of the service pipe.
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