Lead in Drinking Water Information


If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. The Agawam Department of Public Works is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap water for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead or at MassDEP Lead in Drinking Water webpage.

The most recent results are published in the consumer confidence report: 2017 Agawam Water Department CCR

The last time Lead/Cooper samples were taken, as per the Water Department's MassDEP sampling schedule, was in the third quarter of 2016, the next round of samples are to be taken the third quarter of 2019 and reported as part of our 2019 consumer confidence report.