Lead and Copper Rules Revision Project

The City of North Miami (city) is dedicated to providing drinking water that meets and/or exceeds local, state, and federal water quality requirements. In fact, the drinking water from the City’s treatment plant is regularly tested by licensed water quality professionals for several contaminants, including lead. While drinking water provided by North Miami does not contain lead, the city cannot control the plumbing materials used by its customers. 

Lead pipes were commonly used for plumbing in homes and buildings constructed until the mid-1950s. If pipes, connections, or household plumbing materials contain lead, there is a possibility it can leak into the water. It is known that lead-tainted drinking water can cause serious health problems; therefore, lead pipes for plumbing were banned in Florida in 1989.

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued new requirements to strengthen protections from the health effects of lead in drinking water. The goal of these new requirements is to replace the remaining lead-containing water pipes across the nation that were historically used when older homes were built. 

As part of our ongoing commitment to providing safe and reliable drinking water, the City Public Works Department is working to identify potential sources of lead in drinking water through a system-wide inventory of the water pipes (called service lines). The inventory will include the portion of the water service line that the city owns (from the water main to the street curb), and the portion that our customers own (from the street curb to your tap). Help from the public is needed to complete this inventory.

Since the city doesn’t keep records on the plumbing materials used in homes, you can help us complete the inventory by doing a simple check to determine what materials your water service line is made of (Materials Verification Test) and completing our survey.

What is a service line?

Water service lines are underground pipes that connect private properties to the City’s water main and deliver water to customers.

water service lineGraphic provided by the EPA Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water

How can I determine what my service line is made of? 

There are a few options: 

  1. Perform an at-home Materials Verification Test using these instructions. 
  2. Contact a licensed plumber to help you make the determination. 
  3. Purchase a lead test kit at a hardware or home improvement store (look for an EPA recognized kit). 
  4. Use the EPA’s online “Protect Your Tap” tool to help you determine what your pipes are made of. 

Once you determine what your water service line is made of, fill out the survey below to tell us what you found. Please include a photo.

Lead and Copper Rule Compliance Assistance Take a Survey


If you have additional questions about the City’s inventory study, please submit inquiries below:

LCR Inquiry Form


Want to learn more?

Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or at www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. 

You can also view this brief video from the American Water Works Association to learn about how lead can get into drinking water and ways to protect yourself at home:


AWWA Together, Let's get the Lead Out