Let the water run from the tap before using it for drinking or cooking any time the water in a faucet has gone unused for more than six hours. The longer water resides in your home’s plumbing the more lead it may contain. Flushing the tap means running the cold water faucet until the water gets noticeably colder, usually about 15-30 seconds. If your house has a lead service line to the water main, you hay have to flush the water for a longer time, perhaps on minute before drinking. Although toilet flushing or showering flushes water through a portion of your home’s plumbing system, you still need to flush the water in each faucet before using it for drinking or cooking. Flushing tap water is a simple and inexpensive measure you can take to protect you family’s health. It usually uses less than one or two gallons of water and costs less than $0.10 per month. To conserve water, fill a couple of bottles for drinking water after flushing the tap, and whenever possible use the first flush water to wash the dishes or water the plants. If you live in a high-rise building, letting the water flow before using it may not work to lessen your risk from lead. The plumbing systems have more, and sometimes larger pipes than smaller buildings. Ask your landlord for help in locating the source of the lead and for advice on reducing the lead level.

Try not to cook with, or drink water from the hot water tap. Hot water can dissolve more lead quickly than cold water. If you need hot water, draw water from the cold tap and heat it on the stove.

Remove loose lead solder and debris from the plumbing materials installed in newly constructed homes, or homes in which the plumbing has recently been replaced, by removing the faucet strainers from all taps and running the water from 3 to 5 minutes. Thereafter, periodically remove the strainers and flush out any debris that has accumulated over time.

If you copper pipes are joined with lead solder that has been installed illegally since it was banning in 1986, notify the plumber who did the work and request that he or she replace the lead solder with lead-free solder. Lead solder looks dull gray, and when scratched with a key looks shiny. In addition, notify the Kansas Department of Health and Environment about the violation.

Determine whether or not the service line that connects your home or apartment to the water main is made of lead. The best way to determine if you service line is made of lead is by either hiring a licensed plumber to inspect the line or by contacting the plumbing contractor who installed the line. You can identify the plumbing contractor by checking the city’s record of building permits which should be maintained in the files of the Office of Central Inspection at (316) 268-4471. A licensed plumber can at the same time check to see if your home’s plumbing contains lead solder, lead pipes, or pipe fittings that contain lead. The water system that delivers water to your home should also maintain records of the materials located in the distribution system. If the service line that connects your dwelling to the water main contributes more than 15 ppb to drinking water, after our comprehensive treatment program is in place, we are required to replace the line. If the line is only partially controlled by the City of Wichita Water Utilities we are required to provide you with information on how to replace your portion of the service line, and offer to replace that portion of the line at your expense and take a follow-up tap water sample within 14 days of the replacement. Acceptable replacement alternatives include copper, steel, iron, and plastic pipes.

Have an electrician check your wiring. If grounding wires from the electrical system are attached to you pipes, corrosion may be greater. Check with a licensed electrician or your local electrical code to determine if you wiring can be grounded elsewhere. DO NOT attempt to change the wiring yourself because improper grounding can cause electrical shock and fire hazards.

Purchase or lease a home treatment device. Home treatment devices are limited in that each unit treats only the water that flows from the faucet to which it is connected, and all of the devices require periodic maintenance and replacement. Devices such as reverse osmosis systems or distillers can effectively remove lead from your drinking water. Some activated carbon filters may reduce lead levels at the tap; however, all lead reduction claims should be investigated. Be sure to check the actual performance of specific home treatment device before and after installing the unit.

Purchase bottled water for drinking and cooking.

Wichita Water Utilities at (316) 265-1300 (or www.wichita.gov/CityOffices/WaterandSewer) can provide you with information about you community’s water supply, and a list of local laboratories that have been certified by EPA for testing water quality;

Wichita Office of Central Inspection at (316) 268-4471 or your local building code office can provide you with information about building permit records that should contain the names of plumbing contractors that plumbed your home; and

The State Department of Health and Environment at (785) 296-0189 or the Sedgwick County Health Department at (316) 660-7300 can provide you with information about the health effects of lead and how you can have your child’s blood tested.