Lead in drinking water

A tighter standard for lead in drinking water came into force in the Water Quality Regulations in December 2013. Lead in water comes from old lead pipes that can be present in properties built before the 1970s.

Over a number of years, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water has invested millions of pounds installing additional treatment (phosphate dosing) at many of our water treatment works to reduce the amount of lead dissolved from lead pipes. We take thousands of water samples every year to test for lead and of these over 99% will achieve the new lead standard.

When we find the level of lead in a water sample is above the regulatory standard we will contact the customer to advise on what to do to reduce their exposure to lead and we will also test neighbouring properties. We will replace any lead pipes that are our responsibility i.e. between the water main and the property boundary. The pipework from the property boundary into the property is the responsibility of the customer.