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Lead & PFAS

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 Springfield Utility Board (SUB) 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 for 30 seconds to two 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 on the Environmental Protection Agency website.

Does SUB’s system have any lead service lines?

As part of its updated rules for lead and copper, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires water providers to inventory all water service lines. These service lines are the small buried pipes that deliver water from the water main in the street to the building plumbing. Springfield Utility Board (SUB) completed its initial inventory in 2024.

To complete the initial inventory, SUB reviewed historical records, as-built drawings, leak repair reports, and records from new service installations. In addition, water maintenance staff performed field inspections. This process identified approximately half of the services in SUB’s system.

To inventory the remaining services, SUB used a statistical method approved by the Oregon Health Authority. This involved randomly selecting hundreds of services and conducting field work to determine pipe material. This statistical approach demonstrated with a 95% confidence level that there are no lead service lines on either the utility side or the customer side of the meter. (See illustration below.)

SUB will continue to update the inventory periodically as new water pipe material data is collected during routine maintenance and utility improvement projects.

Water service line material information is available to the public via an online map, Service Line Locator Map.
Please refer to the SUB Service Line Map - User Guide (PDF) if you have questions navigating the map.

 

 

Does SUB’s system have any lead connectors?

Not that we know of, but we are currently confirming that they have all been removed. SUB’s records show that the only lead connectors in our system were on water mains installed prior to 1949. To ensure there are no remaining lead connectors in the water system, SUB is digging up water services from 1949 and earlier that have never been replaced. If a lead connector is found it will be removed and replaced with new, lead-free piping material.

What is a lead connector?

A lead connector is a short piece of flexible piping that runs from the water main to the public side service line pipe (as shown in diagram). Lead connectors, installed in the first half of the 20th century, were used because they are durable and easily bent. Modern installations use flexible lead-free piping materials for the service line and do not need separate connectors.

 

Is there lead in private water system plumbing?

There can be. When water stands for several hours in plumbing systems that contain lead, the lead may dissolve into your drinking water. If your home was built before 1986, it may have copper pipes with lead solder. In addition, any faucet purchased before 1997 may be constructed of brass containing up to 8% lead. More recent federal legislation has mandated, as of January 4, 2014, that all pipe, fittings, and fixtures may contain no more than 0.25% lead.

 

What is the greatest exposure risk to lead?

The greatest exposure risk to lead comes from swallowing lead paint chips or breathing dust that contains lead. Common sources of lead exposure include lead-based paint, household dust, soil, and materials used in plumbing.

 

What is the regulated level for lead in drinking water?

The lead standard for drinking water is 15 parts per billion (ppb). If more than 10 percent of tested taps have more than 15 ppb of lead, the public water system would be out of compliance and must take certain actions. SUB has not exceeded this standard. Drinking water with more than 15 ppb of lead over long periods of time can cause health effects.

 

What are the health effects of lead?

Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups. Infants and children can have decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposure can lead to new learning and behavior problems or exacerbate existing learning and behavior problems. The children of women who are exposed to lead before or during pregnancy can have increased risk of these adverse health effects. Adults can have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney or nervous system problems.

 

How can I reduce my exposure to lead in drinking water?

Run your water to flush out lead.
Before using water for drinking or cooking, run the water for 30 seconds to 2 minutes or until it becomes colder from the tap, especially if the water has not been used for many hours. This flushes water that may contain lead from the pipes.

Use cold, fresh water for cooking, drinking, and preparing baby formula.
Do not cook with or drink water from the hot water tap; lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Do not use water from the hot water tap to make baby formula.

Regularly clean your faucet aerator.
Particles containing lead from solder or household plumbing can become trapped in your faucet aerator. Regularly cleaning every few months will remove these particles and reduce your exposure to lead.

Consider buying low-lead faucets.
As of January 2014, all pipes, fittings, and fixtures are required to contain less than 0.25% lead, which is termed “lead-free”.

Consider investing in a filter.
Before you buy, confirm that the filter reduces lead – not all filters do. Remember that bacteria and other contaminants can collect in filters if not properly maintained, making water quality worse, not better.

Download the Lead & Drinking Water (PDF) from the Oregon Health Authority for more information.

Updated April 14, 2026.

What are PFAS?

What are PFAS?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are human-made compounds that have been in widespread production globally since the 1940s and have been widely used in industrial applications, firefighting foam, and consumer products. Many PFAS are highly resistant to heat, oil, and water, making them valued for products such as food packaging, stain- and water-repellant fabrics, and nonstick cookware. Certain firefighting foams designed to suppress fuel fires contain PFAS. Because they help reduce friction, PFAS are also used in a variety of other industries, including aerospace, automotive, building and construction, and electronics.

As a class, PFAS include thousands of different chemicals. Research by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry suggests that exposure to high levels of certain PFAS may lead to adverse health effects. Currently, more than 600 PFAS compounds are approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for sale or import into the United States. The most commonly detected and studied PFAS chemicals are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). Despite the voluntary phase-out of PFOA and PFOS by U.S. industries, these substances continue to persist in the environment.

Due to their widespread use and tendency to persist for long periods of time, PFAS can often be detected in the environment, even when levels are very low. In places where PFAS have contaminated water supplies, such contamination is often associated with a specific facility—for example, at airports and military bases where firefighting training occurred or an industrial facility where PFAS were produced or used to manufacture other products.­­­

Has SUB sampled its water for PFAS?

Yes. In 2013, SUB first tested for PFAS under the EPA’s Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule. EPA uses this rule to gather data on contaminants suspected to be in drinking water but that lack health-based standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). SUB did not have detections of any PFAS chemicals in 2013. Analytical methods have improved considerably since then. For example, in 2013, laboratory tests could detect PFAS chemical concentrations of 10 parts per trillion (ppt) or greater; detection limits are now as low as 2 ppt. Moreover, the number of individual chemicals the labs can test for has increased substantially. The result is that water utilities can now detect a greater variety of chemicals and at exceptionally low levels.

In May of 2019, in response to new revelations about PFAS contamination in other parts of the country, SUB developed a voluntary sampling plan for all of its groundwater sources. Samples were analyzed for 18 different PFAS chemicals, the maximum possible with laboratory methods available at that time. Of the 27 SUB-owned wells tested, two wells--SP and Sports Way, which are used intermittently during summer months--yielded detectable, but extremely low, levels of four PFAS compounds.

SUB continued voluntary sampling through 2024 and, in 2025, again sampled under the EPA’s Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, which analyzes for 29 compounds. SUB’s PFAS data are available in our annual water quality reports.

Starting in 2026, SUB will adjust the timing and frequency of its sampling program to meet the requirements established by EPA’s new National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for six PFAS, which the EPA announced on April 10, 2024. SUB will complete initial monitoring under this new rule in 2027.
 

What do SUB’s sampling results mean?

SUB normally presents its water quality data by referencing a maximum contaminant level (MCL), which is a regulatory threshold limit set by the EPA.  Until the EPA’s April 2024 announcement of a new PFAS regulation, there was no MCL for any PFAS chemicals. SUB will be able to compare its results to the MCL at the end of 2027, when we have completed four quarterly samples in one year.

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is updating its rules to align with EPA’s standards. SUB will continue to work with the Oregon Health Authority to ensure that we continue to provide safe, high-quality water to our customers.

 

 

What are SUB’s next steps?

SUB will continue to sample regularly and to report the results in our annual water quality reports. Since 2019, when SUB first detected low levels of PFAS at two wells, we have strategically managed operations of our water sources to mitigate the presence of PFAS.

Despite very low PFAS detections, SUB is proactively preparing for potential fluctuations in PFAS levels by evaluating water treatment options. With funding support from the Oregon Health Authority and Business Oregon, SUB commissioned a feasibility study in 2022 to evaluate alternatives for installing water treatment facilities at two well sites, with the goal of maintaining non-detect levels of PFAS. SUB used the results of the feasibility study to apply for additional funds for treatment plant design. On April 5, 2024, the State of Oregon Infrastructure Finance Authority Board voted to award SUB $3.1 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for the design of water treatment facilities at these sites. SUB plans to complete the design work by the first half of 2027 and will, at that time, work with the Oregon Health Authority to assess next steps.

SUB has also coordinated closely with Rainbow Water District to address PFAS concerns and appreciates the collaboration. Rainbow’s PFAS sampling results and additional information about PFAS can be found on their web site.

Where can I find more information?

The various online resources linked above provide a wealth of information about PFAS. The American Water Works Association has several fact sheets that specifically address PFAS and drinking water. For more in-depth information on a variety of PFAS-related topics, we recommend a guidance document by the Interstate Technology Regulatory Council (ITRC). To learn about how the State of Oregon is responding to PFAS concerns, visit the Oregon Health Authority PFAS FAQ page.

As always, feel free to contact the SUB Water Division at 541-726-2396 with any questions about your water quality.