Multi-year review found no lead pipes in Austin's public water system

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin's public water system doesn't contain any lead pipes, Austin Water officials confirmed in a Wednesday release.

The update came after a multi-year inspection effort facilitated by Austin Water in an effort to achieve compliancy with guidelines from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Officials noted the agency has been working to "prevent exposure and get the lead out of our water" for over 50 years, the release added.

Lead has been prohibited in the city's public pipeline infrastructure since the 1950s. Austin Water officials noted that, since the 1960s, the agency has "removed any pre-existing lead lines during normal maintenance activity and water line rehabilitation projects," per the release.

The EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Revisions spearheaded Austin Water's system review, which launched in 2016. That review evaluated all public water service lines as well as public and private side indicators.

Crews completed work on the review last month and verified the city's public water system doesn't include lead pipes. Austin Water officials said fewer than 1,000 lines "on the private side of the meter" are galvanized, with those having the possibility of lead contamination.

Officials confirmed the agency is committed to working with homeowners choosing to replace those lines, per the release.

Austin Water's water service line inventory map noted there are 777 galvanized lines requiring replacement, with more than 257,000 non-lead lines noted in the city.

“I am proud of the City of Austin for being a leader in effectively banning lead in our public water infrastructure in 1954 – well before the federal ban in 1986.” Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax said in the release. “Completing this comprehensive inventory confirms that our water system is free of lead pipes. Austinites should be proud of our City’s long-standing efforts to protect health and safety and Austin Water’s work to ensure that our system is free of lead pipes.”

The news came after the Biden-Harris Administration delivered a final ruling Tuesday that mandated drinking water systems in the U.S. must identify and replace lead pipes within a 10-year timeframe. Officials with the EPA estimated up to nine million homes in the U.S. receive drinking water via legacy lead pipe systems, with those disproportionately impacting lower-income and non-white communities, per the administration's Tuesday release.

The Lead and Copper Rule Improvements include requirements for more substantial testing of drinking water and "a lower threshold for communities to take action on lead in drinking water," in an effort to alleviate lead exposure. More details on that federal development are available online.