Lead Pipe Background in Washington (from DOH Lead Service Line Inventory Guidance 331-711)
In 1986, Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to prohibit the use of pipes, solder, or flux that are not “lead-free” in public water systems or plumbing in facilities providing water for human consumption. At the time, lead-free was defined as solder and flux with no more than 0.2% lead and pipes with no more than 8% lead. In 1996, congress further amended the SDWA to prohibit the use of pipe and plumbing fittings and fixtures that are not lead-free in the installation and repair of any public water system or plumbing in a facility providing water for human consumption.
The 1996 amendments also required lead-free plumbing fittings and fixtures (endpoint devices) to comply with a lead-leaching standard. Service lines for homes constructed after 1986 in Washington should be made of materials other than lead. Water systems developing their lead service line inventories may designate homes built after 1986 as not having a lead service line. There may be a local ordinance or code that provides an earlier date that you may use to classify non-lead materials.