The Town of Cary is committed to delivering high quality drinking water. Cary’s drinking water meets all state and federal regulations, including those regarding levels of lead in tap water.

How Lead Can Enter Tap Water

Lead can enter tap water in several ways. The primary source of lead in tap water is from corrosion of household plumbing materials. Home plumbing fixtures and materials can contain small amounts of lead. If corrosion in the water system is not properly controlled, lead can leach from household plumbing into tap water. Do note that lead was effectively banned from use in home plumbing systems in 1986 under the Safe Drinking Water Act, and homes constructed after 1987 likely do not have lead in their home plumbing system.

Improper water treatment operations may be another contributor of lead in tap water. Federal and State drinking water regulations require that water treatment facilities control the corrosiveness of the water they produce. The Town of Cary maintains a rigorous  and time-tested corrosion control program in order to meet these requirements and protect our customers. Additionally, Cary has not switched water supplies since the Cary/Apex Water Treatment Facility opened in 1993.

Drinking water regulations require that water systems take additional steps to control corrosion if more than 10 percent of tap water samples collected during compliance monitoring have lead levels exceeding 15 parts per billion (ppb) or copper results exceeding 1.3 parts per million (ppm).

Cary Water Tests

The Town of Cary has been in compliance with regulatory limits for lead, copper, and the requirements for corrosion control since the commissioning of the Cary/Apex Water Treatment Facility in 1993. In 2021, drinking water samples from 60 homes were collected and analyzed for lead and copper. Lead test results ranged from <3 to 3.1 ppb (well below the action level of 15 ppb). Copper test results ranged from <0.05 to 0.443 ppm (also well below the action level of 1.3 ppm).

Test results details are summarized in Cary’s annual Water Quality Report annually.

Because lead and copper levels in our water have consistently been below regulatory limits, Cary received approval for reduced monitoring status from the State in 1997. Since that time, Cary has been required to conduct monitoring every three years. The next round is scheduled for June 2024. However, to ensure that our corrosion control program remains optimized, monitoring for corrosion control parameters at the Cary/Apex Water Treatment Facility is conducted daily.

Read more about lead testing in the Town of Cary, including free home test kits.

Minimizing the Risk

The Town of Cary has no water lines made of lead. Cary maintains drinking water supplies at an optimum pH and mineral content level to help prevent corrosion in household plumbing. Corrosion inhibitors are added to help protect plumbing materials.

If concerned about potential exposure to lead in your drinking water, you can reduce the risk by running the water until it becomes as cold as it will get (from 5 seconds to 2 minutes or longer) and use only the cold water tap for drinking, cooking, and especially for making baby formula. Hot water is likely to contain higher levels of lead. Read more about steps you can take, or request a kit to test for the presence of lead in your home.

Contact

311 or (919) 469-4090

For general information on lead exposure:

American Water Works Association

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline: (800) 426-4791