Minnesotans can use a new tool to check whether a lead pipe sends water into their home — part of a push by the Biden administration and state officials to remove lead plumbing from the drinking water system over the next decade.
The map, available online at maps.umn.edu/LSL/, covers all community water systems in Minnesota except for the small community of Hartland, in rural Freeborn County.
The map identifies 88,368 lead lines across the state today, but there are gaps in the data — the status of 281,233 lines across Minnesota, or about 19% of the total, is still unknown.
It does not show information about private well users.
Residents whose homes have lead lines should expect to hear from their water system about next steps to remove them, Andrea Ahneman, a spokeswoman for the Minnesota Department of Health, wrote in an email.
Lead is a neurotoxic metal that can cause developmental problems and nervous system damage, according to the Centers for Disease Control. It was also widely used for decades in plumbing, and may linger in many older fixtures, including service lines that connect homes to water mains.
No amount of lead is safe to consume, but the EPA has an “action level” of 15 parts per billion that is the trigger for water systems to reach out to customers and potentially adjust their treatment methods. The agency has proposed lowering that level to 10 ppb.
According to the data collected by MDH, the five utilities with the highest number of lead lines on private property are: