The Town of Cary is committed to delivering the best quality drinking water. The Town remains vigilant in water supply protection, conservation, and community education while serving the needs of all water users.

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

Typically, lead gets into your water after it leaves the treatment plant. The primary cause is corrosion of household plumbing materials.

Homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes, joints and solder. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that pipes in newer homes may contain up to 8 percent lead and leave amounts of lead in the water for the first several months after installation. Over time, lead-containing plumbing materials usually develop a scale that minimizes further corrosion.

The EPA requires that treatment plants control corrosiveness of the water they produce. The EPA requires that water systems take additional steps if more than 10 percent of tap water samples have lead levels exceeding 15 parts per billion.

Cary Water Tests

The Town of Cary remains in compliance with EPA limits on lead in tap water. In 2006 tests of tap water, 92 percent showed lead levels less than 3 parts per billion. Tap water at only one home had lead levels above 15 parts per billion.

Test reports are reported in Cary’s annual Drinking Water Quality Report

Because lead levels were below federal limits, the Town of Cary received approval for reduced monitoring status in 1997. Since that time, Cary has been required to conduct monitoring every three years. The next round is scheduled for June 2009.

Read more about lead testing in the Town of Cary.

Minimizing the Risk

The Town 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.

The Town of Cary has no water lines made of lead.

You can reduce lead levels in your drinking water 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.

More Information

For more information about Cary’s drinking water, contact:

Cary Public Works & Utilities Department
P.O. Box 8005
Cary, NC 27512-8005
(919) 469-4090

For general information on lead exposure, contact:

American Water Works Association

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

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