Lead and Drinking Water

Exposure to lead, if present, can cause serious health effects, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead is unusual among drinking water contaminants in that it seldom occurs naturally in raw water supplies like rivers and lakes. Lead enters drinking water primarily because of the corrosion, or wearing away, of materials containing lead in the water distribution system and household plumbing. 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 your house to the water main (service lines).

In 1986, Congress banned the use of lead solder containing greater than 0.2% lead, and restricted the lead content of faucets, pipes, and other plumbing materials to 8.0%. In California, a similar law prohibiting the use of both lead solder and lead pipe was enacted in 1985. When water stands in lead pipes or plumbing systems containing lead for several hours or more, the lead may be more likely to dissolve into your drinking water. This means the first water drawn from the tap in the morning, or later in the afternoon after returning from work or school, can contain higher levels of lead.

The water the City of Santa Cruz Water Department (SCWD) delivers to customers’ water meters meets all water quality standards. Lead was not detected in the SCWD’s water supply. We are compliant with health and safety codes mandating use of lead-free materials in water system replacements, repairs, and new installations. We test and treat water sources to ensure that the water delivered to customer meters meets all State and Federal standards and is not corrosive toward plumbing materials.

There are a few simple steps you can take in the home to reduce the risk of lead in your drinking water:

  • If water has been standing in pipes for over 6 hours, flush out the pipes by running the tap for 2 minutes. To save water, use the water you flush out for watering plants or doing dishes.
  • Always draw drinking and cooking water from cold water tap — lead dissolves more quickly in hot water.
  • Never make baby formula or other drinks or food for children from the hot water tap. Start with water taken from the cold-water faucet (after flushing) and warm it if necessary.
  • If you are making plumbing changes, be sure to select low-lead or no-lead fixtures. As of January 2014, a new federal law is in effect, reducing the amount of lead in plumbing fixtures from 8 percent to 0.25 percent. Manufacturers are already offering faucets that meet the new standard.

For more information on lead in drinking water visit:

Lead and Copper Rule

Every three years, the City of Santa Cruz Water Department (SCWD) performs lead and copper testing required under the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). The LCR requires utilities to collect samples from high-risk homes based on age of construction. SCWD completed the most recent LCR sampling in the summer of 2021. Thirty-two homes within the Santa Cruz service area were sampled and results are in full compliance with State and Federal standards and are well below the EPA’s action levels. The 2021 LCR results are provided in the 2022 CCR. Learn more about the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule.

Lead and Copper Rule Revisions

2021 Lead and Copper Rule Revisions Implementation

The Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) is the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation first promulgated in 1991 that requires actions by public water systems to reduce levels of lead and copper in drinking water. On January 15, 2021, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), and the deadline for water systems to comply with these revised requirements is October 16, 2024. On December 6, 2023, EPA published the proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) that, when final, will significantly reduce exposure to lead through drinking water. The LCRI proposal builds on the LCRR and the original LCR. The EPA plans to finalize the LCRI prior to the LCRR compliance date of October 16, 2024.

Read the Santa Cruz Water Department Non-Lead Service Line Statement

October 2024

The Santa Cruz Water Department (SCWD) has completed its lead service line inventory, as required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA’s) Lead and Copper Rule Revisions.

A service line is a smaller diameter length of pipe that extends from the main line in the street to residence. There are two sections of a service line, from the main to the meter, often referred to as the ‘utility side’ and from the meter to the residence, often referred to as the ‘customer side’. The SCWD completed an inventory of the utility side service lines in 2018. The recent effort was an inventory of the customer side of the service line.

In order to be efficient with resources, SCWD contracted with a consultant, BlueConduit, a firm with extensive expertise in applying a statistical approach to conducting service line inventories to complete this work. The State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water (DDW) approved the methodology used for this assessment.

Through a combination of historical record review, statistical analysis, and field investigations, the department has determined that its distribution system has no lead or galvanized requiring replacement service lines.

SCWD reviewed all applicable sources of information, including

  • All construction and plumbing codes, permits, existing records or other documentation that indicate service line materials.
  • All inspections and records of the distribution system indicate service line material, including inspections conducted during normal operations (e.g., checking service line materials when reading water meters or performing maintenance activities).
  • Below is a detailed list of all applicable water system records reviewed by BlueConduit for this inventory (as available):
    • Recently Verified Service Line Material Records (both public and private side)
    • Historical Water Service Line Material Records (both public and private side)
    • Service initiation orders that could have any of the following information: main size, service line size, service line materials, and customer account
    • Records of previous materials for service line replacements performed over the last two years
    • Water main age
    • Historical water service line maps
    • Taxable parcel records (year built, land size, value, zoning, etc.)
    • Construction records
    • Water account billing information
    • Water sampling test results
    • Water main size and material
    • Census data
    • Fire hydrant locations and attributes
    • List of daycare and school facilities and their previous testing records

DDW approves the use of certain statistical methods to conduct service line inventories. SCWD used a stratified random sampling to develop the initial inventory, developed from the information collected (listed above). Stratified random sampling involves physically verifying a subset of randomly selected service lines in the distribution system. That subset is stratified or divided into groups based on certain characteristics (e.g., years the service lines were installed). Stratification allows for a sample or subset of service lines to be more representative of the service lines in the distribution system.

After investigating the subset of service lines, if no lead or galvanized requiring replacement service lines are discovered, the remaining service lines may be assumed non-lead with a certain level of confidence (95% confidence with +/- 5% margin of error). The department verified 750 service lines, and no lead or galvanized requiring replacement service lines were identified.

Per DDW guidelines, private-side service lines for homes built after the California lead ban of January 1, 1986, can be classified as non-lead. Of the 28,618 total customer side service lines in the SCWD service area, 7,075 homes were built on or after January 1, 1986. Therefore, these service lines were classified as non-lead and removed from sampling. Read the Project Plan for more information regarding how service lines were selected for stratified random sampling.

SCWD will document service line material information obtained from normal operations, such as service line maintenance or water meter readings, and will update the initial inventory accordingly.

Lead and Copper Rule Improvements

On November 30, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI). The proposal is a major advancement in protecting children and adults from the significant and irreversible health effects of exposure to lead in drinking water. Learn more at Proposed Lead and Copper Rule Improvements.

Lead Sampling in Schools

In 2017, the California State Water Resource Control Board Division of Drinking Water (DDW) released a directive for all water agencies to provide testing for lead in drinking water for all K12 public, private, and charter schools constructed prior to 2010 served by the water agencies that request testing. This one-time testing effort was completed by the SCWD’s Water Quality Laboratory (WQL) between 2017-2019. Twenty-four schools within the Santa Cruz service area were sampled before the regulatory deadline of July 1, 2019. Results are summarized on a map updated by the DDW. Learn more about Lead sampling in schools.

Lead Sampling in Childcare Centers

Assembly Bill 2370 requires that licensed child day care centers constructed before January 1, 2010, test their drinking water prior to January 1, 2023, and then repeated every five years. This requirement does not apply to Family Child Care Centers. If lead in water exceeds the Action Level of 5 ppb, AB 2370 requires centers to immediately make inoperable and cease using the affected fountains and notify all parents and guardians of results. The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has created an informational website on Lead Testing and Prevention in accordance with AB 2370. The Program requires that a certified external water sampler collect samples at the Child Care Centers. The City of Santa Cruz Water Department does not provide this service.

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