FAQ’s

Lead is a toxic metal whose widespread use in paint and other products has caused extensive environmental contamination and health problems throughout the world. It typically enters drinking water when plumbing materials that contain lead material corrode. Lead is not present in water leaving a treatment plant or source water, such as a reservoir, and water mains are not comprised of any lead materials. The most common sources of lead in drinking water are interior faucets and plumbing containing solder, and lead service lines, the pipes that connect the home to the water main.  Lead pipes are more likely to be found in older cities and homes constructed prior to 1986. To better service its customers, Veolia is committed to removing all of the lead from the service lines it owns and encouraging customers to replace their lead service lines. The company removes thousands of lead service lines each year.

Links for more information:

• epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water
• epa.gov/lead/lead-policy-and-guidance
• state.nj.us/dep/watersupply/dwc-lead.html
• cdc.gov/nceh/lead/prevention/sources/water.htm

If you are concerned about lead exposure, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection recommends contacting your local health department or healthcare provider to find out how you can get tested for lead. Your family doctor or pediatrician can perform a blood test for lead and provide you with information about the health effects of lead.

Never use water from the hot water tap to prepare formula. Boiling water does not remove lead. To err on the side of caution, if you have a lead line serving your home, a lead gooseneck, or lead pipes or fixtures in your house you may want to take precautions.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control suggests that long-term exposure to lead in water is a concern for infants, young children and pregnant women. Lead can cause serious health issues because it can lead to neurological and kidney damage and interfere with the body’s production of red blood cells. Risk will vary, however, depending on the individual, the circumstances, and the amount of water consumed. For more information, consult a health professional.

All daycare centers and public and private schools in the state of New Jersey are governed by educational laws. If you have concerns, you should contact that facility.

Yes. As per the Centers for Disease Control, bathing and showering should be safe for you and your children, even if the water contains lead over EPA’s action level. Human skin does not absorb lead in water.

The primary source of lead in drinking water is from service lines made of lead, lead goosenecks, and from lead fixtures in homes. Service lines are pipes that extend from water mains to individual residences or businesses. Water quality professionals rigorously test the safety of water distributed from Veolia treatment plants in Northern New Jersey and continue to find NO detectable levels of lead.

Other indoor plumbing pipes and fixtures may contain lead that could enter your drinking water, including lead solder that connects pipes in your home as well as brass faucets. Homes or buildings built prior to 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes, fixtures and solder. Lead service lines are typically only present in older homes, but older brass faucets with lead content can be found in newer homes.

Veolia owns the portion of the service line that runs from our water main to your property line. You own the remaining portion that extends from your property line into your home or business.

Please go to https://mywater.veolia.us/new-jersey/water-in-my-area/service-lines/service-line-interactive-map for an interactive map with details about your service line.

You can also inspect pipes inside your home. Lead service lines are generally a dull gray color and are very soft. You can identify them easily by carefully scratching with a flat-tipped screwdriver. If the pipe is made of lead, the scratched area will turn a bright silver color. Do not use a knife or other sharp instrument and take care not to puncture a hole in the pipe. A video that demonstrates how to conduct a scratch test can be found here. A qualified plumber can also determine if your home contains lead-based plumbing fixtures.

Our customer service representatives are available  1-800-422-5987 to answer questions, including those about lead lines and testing.

We are committed to getting the lead out of the system, with multiple crews working in multiple towns every day. Veolia has recently begun replacing customer-owned lead service lines at no cost to the homeowner. You’ll hear from us when we get to your neighborhood, but please call us at 1-800-422-5987 if you have concerns or questions.

If you have replaced your line or plan to, please contact our customer service representatives at 1-800-422-5987 so we can update our records.

If replacing pipes and household plumbing is not an option for you, many water filters are effective in removing lead. Be sure to check the label or contact the manufacturer to confirm the water filter is NSF-certified for lead removal.

Before using any tap water for drinking or cooking, flush your water system by running the kitchen tap (or any other tap you take drinking or cooking water from) on COLD. Never use hot water from the faucet for drinking or cooking, especially when making baby formula or food for infants.

Steps customers can take:

1. Test water inside the home for lead. Veolia will provide free tests to residents on our list of known or suspected lead lines. The NJDEP maintains a list of certified laboratories. To access this list, please visit https://www13.state.nj.us/DataMiner. Once there, click Search by Category then select Certified Laboratories from the Report Category drop down box. Then click on the Submit button and under Certified Laboratories choose Drinking Water Certified Lead Labs.
2. Run the water and flush out lead. Let the water run from the tap before using it for drinking or cooking any time the water in the faucet has gone unused for more than six hours. The longer the water resides in plumbing the more lead it contains. Flushing the tap means running the cold water faucet for about 15 to 30 seconds. Although toilet flushing or showering flushes water through a portion of the plumbing system, you still need to flush the water in each faucet before using it for drinking or cooking. is a simple and inexpensive measure you can take to protect your health. It usually uses less than one gallon of water. For those with lead service lines or until you determine if you are served by one, let the water run from the tap based on the length of the lead service line and the plumbing configuration in your home.
3. Use cold water for cooking and preparing baby formula. Do not cook with or drink water from the hot water tap. Hot water can dissolve lead more quickly than cold water. If you need hot water, draw the water from the cold tap and then heat it. Do not use water from the hot water tap to make baby formula.
4. Do not boil water to remove lead. Boiling water will not reduce lead.
5. Remove and clean aerators/screens on plumbing fixtures. Over time, particles and sediment can collect in the aerator screen usually found at the tip of indoor faucets. Regularly remove and clean aerators screens and remove any particles.
6. Look for alternative sources or treatment of water.  You may want to consider purchasing bottled water or a water filter if there is lead in your home. Be sure the filter is approved to reduce lead or contact NSF International at 1-800-NSF-8010 or nsf.org for information on performance standards for water filters. Be sure to maintain and replace a filter device in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.
7. Proper and routine maintenance of water softeners.  It is very important that residents manage their water softeners appropriately. Not properly maintaining your water softener could have a negative impact on the corrosivity of the water in your home.
8. Get your child tested. Contact your local health department or healthcare provider to find out how you can get tested for lead if you are concerned about lead exposure. Your family doctor or pediatrician can perform a blood test for lead and provide you with information about the health effects of lead.

If you are concerned, you may contact a laboratory that will perform a test. The following labs are among those listed on the DEP’s water quality website:

APL (Aqua Pro-Tech Laboratories): 973-227-0422

EMSL Analytical: 856-303-2546

ALS Environmental Laboratories: 717-319-8571

Here are nine steps to protect your family from lead exposure:

1. Test your home for lead paint. In the United States, lead is in paint in 87% of homes built before 1940, 69% of homes built from 1940–1959, and 24% of homes built from 1960–1977. Homes in the Northeast and Midwest are most likely to have lead in paint. Ask the landlord about lead before you sign a lease. Before you buy a home, have it inspected for lead.
2. Before any work is done on your home, learn about safe ways to make repairs. When repairs are being done, seal off the area until the job is done and keep your child away until everything is cleaned up. Be sure to use a certified contractor. Removing lead paint on your own can often make the condition worse. If work is not done the safe way, you and your child can be harmed by increased exposure to lead in dust.
3. Keep your children away from old windows, old porches, and areas with chipping or peeling paint. If it is in your home, cover it with duct tape or contact paper until it can be completely removed. If you rent your home, let your landlord know about any peeling or chipping paint. Landlords are legally obligated to remediate lead problems found on their property.
4. If you are in an older home, do not allow your child to play in the dirt next to the home. Plant grass over bare soil or use mulch or wood chips.
5. Wipe surfaces regularly. Wipe down floors and other level surfaces with a damp mop or sponge. Taking shoes off at the door can help reduce tracking in dirt.
6. Teach your children to wash their hands, especially before eating. Wash pacifiers and toys regularly.
7. Keep clean. If your work or hobbies involve lead, change your clothes and shoes and shower when finished. Keep your clothes at work or wash your work clothes as soon as possible.
8. Use cold flushed tap water for mixing formula, drinking, or cooking. If you are in an older home, run the water for several minutes before using it in the morning and start with cold water for drinking or cooking.
9. Eat healthy. A good diet can help your child absorb less lead. Give your child a well-balanced diet that includes a variety of foods that are high in calcium and iron and follow the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations on fruit juice.

These 5 questions will help you determine if your family is at risk for lead poisoning.

1. Was your home built before 1978? A majority of homes built before 1978 contain lead-based paint, which can have a dangerous effect on the health of young children (under the age of six) and pregnant women.
2. Do you see walls, furniture, or window sills in your home with chipping or peeling paint? Lead-based paint is unsafe if it peels, chips, or cracks. Harmful lead dust is created when windows, doors, edges of stairs, rails, or other lead-based painted surfaces wear away over time. You or your landlord can get your home checked for lead by hiring a trained, certified professional. Many young children put their hands or other objects covered with lead dust in their mouths, which can cause serious damage to their health. Wash children’s hands, bottles, pacifiers, and toys often.
3. Do your children play in the soil near your older home? Soil around homes with lead-based paint may have lead chips, dust, or flakes in it. Children can accidentally swallow this soil while playing outdoors, or the soil may be tracked indoors from shoes onto carpet and floors where children can eventually come into contact with it. Teach children to wipe and remove their shoes, as well as to wash their hands, after playing outdoors.
4. Do you store food in imported pottery that contains lead? Imported pottery and dishware usually contain lead. To protect your family from lead poisoning, use imported pottery only for decoration, and keep food and drinks in other safe, storage containers.
5. Do you work with lead in your job? You may be exposed to lead on the job if you work as a painter, ironworker, construction worker, cable splicer, automobile radiator repair mechanic, firearms instructor, metal shop worker, stained glass artist, or battery maker. If you work in a lead-related industry, change your work clothes before entering the home, wash your work clothes separately from the clothes you wear around your family, and remove your shoes before entering your home, as lead can be tracked indoors onto carpets, floors, and furniture.

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, have your home tested by a certified professional. If you rent, find out if your landlord has checked your home for lead.

1,4-dioxane is a synthetic chemical used in many industries as a manufacturing solvent, a laboratory component and in the production of other chemicals. It is used in products such as adhesives, resins, oils, waxes, wood pulping, and in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, certain plastics and rubber.  The chemical also appears as a byproduct of personal care products, detergents and cosmetics. While there is no current standard set for 1,4-dioxane in drinking water in New Jersey, Veolia continues to carefully monitor this emerging contaminant.

Links for More Information:

• nj.gov/dep/14-dioxane/
• EPA Technical Fact Sheet: 1,4-Dioxaneexternal icon
• cdc.gov/niosh/topics/1-4-dioxane/default.html
• ATSDR Toxicological Profile for 1,4-Dioxane
• U.S. Food & Drug: 1,4-Dioxane in Cosmetics: A Manufacturing Byproductexternal icon
• New Jersey Hazardous Substance Fact Sheets; 1,4-Dioxaneexternal icon

PFOA and PFOS are chemical substances that have been used for decades to manufacture firefighting foam and many common household and consumer products that the public uses frequently, including non-stick cookware, fast food packaging, stain-resistant products, photography chemicals, shampoo, pesticides, and paints. These compounds are regulated by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and, because they can leach into the ground, Veolia maintains regular water quality testing and reporting requirements. With the anticipation that drinking water standards may change, Veolia is building treatment plans to remove these substances when present.

Links for more information:

• epa.gov/pfas
• fda.gov/food/chemicals/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas
• atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/index.html
• cdc.gov/biomonitoring/PFAS_FactSheet.html
• nj.gov/dep/srp/emerging-contaminants/