This flow chart allows you to evaluate your risk from each of these three problems, and suggests a common set of solutions you might use to solve them. Lead Contamination of Drinking Water 1. Lead water pipes were used in some homes until the 1930's. Lead piping can be recognized as a dull-grey metal that is soft enough to be easily scratched, exposing a shiny surface underneath. Lead service lines were often used to join buildings to public water lines in the street until the 1940's.
Many municipalities have records showing which homes are connected to lead service lines.
Lead is especially dangerous to young children, infants, and the unborn . A child's mental and physical development can be irreversibly affected by lead exposure. Some public water supplies, even if they do not have lead service lines, may have lead service connections where the line to the home meets the water main in the street. Submersible pumps in private wells may contribute small amounts of lead to water in their first month of operation. Some groundwater near existing or former cherry orchards in Door County may contain lead because of pesticide use.