Lead pipes

If your home has water supplied to it by lead pipes it may be possible for some lead to be present in the water supply.

Whilst the water we supply to the boundary of properties is virtually lead free, lead can be picked up if it passes through a lead service pipe, which connects the water main to your house.

Lead can also be picked up from internal lead plumbing or certain other plumbing fittings. As a result, the water may contain more lead than the drinking water standards allow.

Checking for lead pipes

If your home was built before 1970 it may have lead pipes. A simple check inside your home should help you identify if this is the case. Unpainted lead pipes are dull grey and soft. If you scrape the surface gently with a knife or coin it will expose a shiny, silver coloured metal underneath. They are often uneven in diameter compared with copper or plastic pipes. The service pipe can usually be found under the kitchen sink or where it rises inside your property.

Essex & Suffolk Water and lead

The Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000 define the current European standard for lead in water supplies. This standard is 25 microgrammes per litre (µg/l), however in December 2013 a new standard for lead of 10 microgrammes per litre (µg/l) will come into force.

To achieve this future standard, we have invested millions of pounds at our treatment plants to reduce the potential for this natural effect. All of this work has been in accordance with the requirements of our Regulators. Despite the investment which has proven to significantly reduce the levels of lead, the condition of some pipework materials is such that the standard may still be exceeded.

Our policy is designed to achieve this future standard of 10 microgrammes per litre (µg/l).

What you can do to reduce lead in your water

Water dissolves more lead the longer it is allowed to stand in the pipes, so it is likely to contain more lead after standing overnight or when the property is left unoccupied - during holidays for example. If you do have a lead service, there are some steps, which you can take which may reduce the amount of lead in your water supply:

• First thing in the morning, or after several hours of non-use, run the first cold water tap on the supply pipe. This is usually the kitchen tap and should be run for a short while. If you run this water into a bowl you can always use this water for something other than drinking or cooking,
• Change the water inside your kettle every time you use it as lead can accumulate in water that is re-boiled,
• Alternatively you may consider replacing your lead supply pipe.

Responsibility

The pipework inside a property and the part of the service pipe leading to the external stop tap is your responsibility (or the property owner's responsibility if you are not the owner). This pipe is called the supply pipe. The section of pipe outside the boundary of your property is called the communication pipe and is the responsibility of Essex and Suffolk Water. See the diagram below.

What to do if you have lead pipes

Essex and Suffolk Water has an obligation to ensure the water supplied to your property meets the current standard for lead and ultimately the standard that will come into force in 2013.

If however, your property has lead pipes, you may still want to consider replacing them. Essex and Suffolk Water have a policy entitled 'Our Water Quality Standards and Replacing Your Lead Pipes'. This explains that if you write to inform us that you intend to replace your lead supply pipe, we will arrange for a water quality sample to be taken from your property.

You can download the policy and application form, or alternatively you can request an application form and the policy by telephoning our Customer Contact Centre on 08457 820 999.

If the sample exceeds the future standard of 10 microgrammes per litre we will replace our communication pipe at no cost to yourself when you replace your supply pipe.

Replacing lead pipes

If, following your application and the sampling of the water supplied to your property, you decide to go ahead with the replacement of your supply pipe we request that you contact us. Even if you are not eligible under 'Our Water Quality Standards and Replacing Your Lead Pipes' policy we will still arrange for someone to visit your property and advise on the work involved. There is no charge for this visit, provided it occurs within normal working hours.

Once the work has been carried out, we will visit the property to ensure that the work meets current water regulations and reconnect your supply. If you are eligible under the policy there will be no charge for these additional services.

The following table details our charges that we may apply depending on the result of our water quality sample and your eligibility under our new policy.

Definitions

No excavation – where the excavation and backfill of the trench will be completed by the customer.

Unmade surfaces - where machinery will not be needed to break open the surface and imported backfill is not required. Grass verges and other soft grounds are included in this category.

Made up surface – where a path (i.e. concrete, slabbed, tarmac) is excavated and is permanently reinstated to match existing surface.