Lead Free Fairfax
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Fairfax Water is committed to providing safe, high-quality drinking water and keeping you informed as rules and standards change. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently updated its rules to help reduce lead in drinking water. The most recent updates are called the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI).
To meet these new requirements, Fairfax Water launched our Lead Free Fairfax program. This program helps us meet these new standards, share important information about the sources and effects of lead, and provide guidance on how you can protect you and your family's health.
Fairfax Water has a long history of proactively protecting our customers from lead. We use a treatment technique called corrosion control to prevent lead from leaching into water. Because of this, the drinking water we produce is well below the maximum lead levels set forth by the EPA. We remain committed to upholding this standard of excellence and protecting public health through every action we take.
Fairfax Water is Closer Than Ever to a Lead-Free System
We’re excited to share some great news about your water service! Fairfax Water has made significant progress in ensuring the pipes that bring water to your home are safe and lead-free.
Thanks to help from our customers and the hard work of the Fairfax Water team, in just one year, we’ve reduced the number of service lines with unknown materials from 137,340 to just 116. That’s a huge step forward and puts us very close to having a lead-free system – a major win for public health and safety.
How We Did It
Fairfax Water has been checking all available records, noting pipe material during regular work, and collecting information from customers to learn what their service lines are made of. Most service line materials were identified using these steps and were made of non-lead material.
To identify the remaining unknown material pipes, we used an established, science-based predictive modeling approach to determine what kind of material each service line is made of. The analysis included things like pipe age, historical records, housing characteristics, and field verification to predict which lines may or may not have lead. This approach helped us:
- Minimize digging up streets and yards
- Save money for our customers
- Get accurate results without causing disruptions
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) reviewed and approved our method and results, so we can confidently say that nearly all previously unknown service lines are not made of lead
What’s Next?
Out of more than 290,000 service lines in our system, only 116 still have unknown materials. All of these are in the Belle Haven neighborhood of Alexandria.
- Here’s what we’re doing next:
- We will continue to confirm the non-lead status of service lines during our regular work.
- We will be replacing all utility-owned lines identified as lead.
- For customers with lead pipes on the side of the line they own, the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (SERCAP) offers financial assistance for certain households who qualify to replace these lines. Visit https://sercap.org/ for more information.
- Here’s a quick look at the current service line inventory numbers (as of November 2025):
| Service Line Category | Number | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 116 | Belle Haven |
| Utility-Owned Lead | 15 | Belle Haven |
| Customer-Owned Lead | 1 | City of Fairfax |
| Galvanized Requiring Replacement* | 2 | Belle Haven |
*Galvanized Requiring Replacement service lines are those that were previously downstream of a lead service line or there is no documentation saying it was never downstream of one.
Lead and Copper Rule Background Information
- The Lead and Copper Rule is a federal regulation first issued by the U.S. EPA in 1991 to help prevent lead and copper from entering drinking water. Exposure to lead, especially for infants and children, can cause serious health problems.
- Over the years, the Lead and Copper Rule has been updated to strengthen these protections. The most recent update, the LCRI, requires water utilities to take additional action to protect customers. Some of these requirements are:
- Conduct lead testing at schools and childcare facilities,
- Maintain an inventory of all water service line materials in the system, and
- Replace all lead and galvanized requiring replacement service lines by 2037.
- The Lead Free Fairfax program addresses these requirements and keeps the Fairfax community safe from lead in drinking water.
Protecting Your Household
If you believe your home's plumbing contains lead, Fairfax Water recommends using a water filter with an NSF 53 certification to remove lead and getting your tap water tested for lead. You can have your water tested for lead by the Fairfax County Health Department. They can be reached by phone at 703-246-3218, TTY 711. You can also have your water tested by a state-certified laboratory. Please note that there may be fee associated with these tests.
We are here to help! Contact us today if you have questions on this important topic.
| Customer Service |
|---|
| 703.698.5800 |
| leadfree@fairfaxwater.org |
Factsheets
Title
Health Effects of Lead in Drinking Water
Title
How can I be exposed to lead?
Lead is a naturally occurring material that has been used in many residential and industrial settings. Therefore, there is a risk that we may be exposed to it at work or at home. Previously, lead was thought of as a good material for water pipes due to its soft nature and flexibility. Because of this historical practice, some homes may have water service lines, plumbing, kitchen fixtures, or bathroom fixtures that contain lead. Other potential sources of lead include lead-based paint, dust, jewelry, and some plastics. The graphic below shows where these sources of lead may be in your home.
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Click here for the Spanish version of the service line graphic.
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How can lead exposure affect my health?
Anyone can experience adverse health effects from lead exposure, but infants and children are at the greatest risk. Potential health impacts to infants and children include decreases in IQ and attention span, as well as the development or worsening of learning and behavioral problems. Those who are exposed as children may also face problems with decreased bone and tissue growth, as well as anemia. The children of women who have been exposed to lead before or during pregnancy can experience these same health effects. While adults are less at risk for adverse health effects than children, lead exposure may still be harmful. Adults who are exposed to lead can have increased risks of high blood pressure, heart disease, and nervous system or kidney disorders. Lead exposure in adults has also been linked to dysfunction in the digestive and reproductive systems.
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How can I reduce my lead exposure at home?
Check your plumbing.
- Verify that all faucets and fixtures in your home are lead-free.
- Clean out your faucet aerators regularly. After removing the aerator, flush the tap with cold water for 5 minutes.
- Know your service line material. Take our online survey to identify and report your service line material. Grab your smartphone, head to the water shut-off valve inside your home, click here to identify your service line material and complete the survey.
Use cold water for drinking and preparing food.
- Always use cold tap water for drinking and preparing food. Lead may settle and concentrate in hot water tanks. Hot water is more likely to dissolve lead from solder and brass fittings.
Flush your taps.
- Run the water from infrequently used taps for at least 5 minutes prior to cooking with it or drinking it if the water has gone unused for more than 6 hours. This will prevent consuming water that has sat exposed to any lead. If you have a known lead service line and your house is sent far from the street, you may need to flush longer. You may choose to use the water from this initial flush to water plants or to wash dishes.
If you have reason to believe your plumbing may contain lead...
- You can have your water tested for lead by the Fairfax County Health Department. They can be reached by phone at 703-246-3218, TTY 711. You can also have your water tested by a state-certified laboratory. Please note that there may be a fee associated with these tests.
- You can use a NSF 53 certified water filter.
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What steps is Fairfax Water taking?
Fairfax Water is taking several proactive steps to mitigate customers’ exposure to lead in drinking water. Fairfax Water is updating its inventory of service line materials and working to identify any lead service lines within its water system. Additionally, Fairfax Water uses corrosion control treatments to prevent lead from leaching into water. Historically, lead in our system has test well below the maximum lead levels set forth by the EPA.