
Call us at (541) 685-7861, or send us an email.
All of us care about our family's health and well-being. Elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, and pregnant women and young children are especially vulnerable. For decades, we have tested our water for lead. This testing shows that there is no lead in the water that enters the distribution piping. We also adjust the pH of the water to reduce corrosion in our pipe systems and to help prevent lead from leaching out of your old household plumbing fixtures.
EWEB is responsible for providing high quality drinking water to your meter, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components once water passes through the water meter and enters private property.
EWEB owned service lines
We have reviewed our documentation and performed onsite pipe assessments, there are no known lead service lines in our distribution system.
Customer owned household plumbing
The main source of lead in our community's tap water is old household plumbing. Household plumbing is the homeowner's portion of the service line which runs from the meter to your house and the type of internal plumbing and faucets used inside your home. Lead solder was often used in homes built or plumbed with copper pipes before 1986. Lead is also common in brass faucets and fixtures installed before 2014.
Boiling water will not reduce or remove lead from water. Here are a few tips to reduce lead exposure from your tap water:
Flush your pipes.
Use only cold water to drink, cook and make baby formula.
Your faucet aerator can trap particles that contain lead.
Consider buying low-lead fixtures.
Consider using a water filter.
You can have your tap water tested for the presence of lead. Click here for a list of certified laboratories.
You can verify the type of piping that you have in your home. This is especially important if your home was built prior to the lead ban in 1986.
You can ask your child's doctor to have a lead blood level test done. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that public health actions be initiated when the level of lead in a child's blood is 3.5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) or more.
You can visit:
US Environmental Protection Agency
Oregon Health Authority