Cambridge Water Department Proactively Works to Eliminate Lead Service Lines

Lead service lines (LSLs) -- the water pipe that connects a home or building with the public water main under the street -- were widely used throughout the United States until the 1980s. The goal of eliminating LSLs from U.S. water distribution systems has gained significant momentum in recent years. Fortunately, in Cambridge, eliminating lead service lines has long been a significant priority for the City and the Water Department for more than three decades.

Since 1996, Cambridge has proactively reduced 80% of lead service lines in the City through its lead service line replacement program. During water main replacement construction projects, the City has worked with property owners to replace lead service lines in their entirety and cover a majority of the cost of replacing the lines from the water main in the street up to the meter at a home or building.

However, there are more lead service lines that need to be replaced in the City.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has set a goal of replacing all lead service lines in Massachusetts within the next five years, eight years ahead of the new Federal EPA regulation requiring all lead services to be replaced by 2037.

In preparation for the new Federal regulation, Mass DEP now requires all Massachusetts water systems to document all water service line materials and identify any lead or lead containing materials. Any properties in Cambridge that were identified as Lead, Galvanized or Unknown will be receiving a letter from the City with further details and instructions for next steps. 

If residents, building owners or property managers are not sure if they have a lead service line, a list of all service material types by address are provided on the Water Department website. If your address is listed as Lead, Galvanized or Unknown, the Water Department offers various services to help you verify if you have a lead service and assist in the lead service replacement process.

The Cambridge Water Department offers free tap water testing for lead and copper to any Cambridge residents. Tap water sampling kits are available in the foyer to the lobby of the water treatment facility at 250 Fresh Pond Parkway, where there is a self-serve kiosk and residents can pick up and drop off test kits. A resident just needs to pick up a kit during regular business hours Monday – Friday between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Please read the instructions, fill out a form, fill the sample bottles according to the instructions, and return everything back to the lobby. The Water Department will get your results in approximately three weeks.

After verifying if there is lead service or not, residents, building owners or property managers looking to replace their lead service line running from the street to their meter, the Water Department can help check the property at no cost to the owner, provide a bonded water utility contractors list, and cover the cost of replacing the portion of the service line within the public right of way from the water main to the property line. Residents and building owners would be required to replace the portion of the water service from the property line to the meter at their own expense. If the work on the property side is done in conjunction with the public side, approximately 75-80% of the overall costs are typically handled by the City.