Clean. Flush. Consume Cold.
Ensure the Highest Quality Water
Clean, Flush and Consume Cold are the actions all customers should implement to help ensure the highest quality of water is coming out of your tap, especially if there is the possibility of lead in your plumbing system.
In some situations, a water system disturbance, repair, or replacement may temporarily increase lead levels in water and/or cause discoloration. As a standard practice, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends these actions, which are important to take when water has been restored after a disruption of service and/or when water has been unused for an extended period of time.
Clean
Clean your faucet aerator screens regularly. Small particles of solder and other materials can accumulate in faucet aerators and in some circumstances can release lead into the water. Aerators should be cleaned at least twice a year, and more frequently after work is done to your plumbing system.
Aerator Cleaning Instructions (Page 2)(PDF, 200KB)
Flush
Flush your cold water lines before consuming water when water has not been used for 6 or more hours. The goal is to have cold, fresh water from the water main in the street come out of your tap before drinking the water. To flush the plumbing, run water until you feel a temperature change then run water for an additional 30 seconds to 3 minutes. The time depends on the length and diameter of your service line. The farther your home is from the street, the longer you need to flush. When in doubt, flush it out.
As a standard practice perform a Full House Flush, after the operation, maintenance, replacements of any portion of the service lines or plumbing that a disrupt service and/or when water has been unused for an extended period of time.
Full House Flush Instructions (Page 1)(PDF, 200KB)
Consume Cold
Always use cold water for cooking, drinking, and preparing baby formula. Hot water corrodes pipes faster and is more likely to contain lead. If you need hot water for food or drinks, get water from the cold water tap then heat the water.
Additional Actions
Have Your Water Tested
Contact a certified laboratory to have your water tested for lead. A list of certified laboratories is available at the EPA's website for Wyoming and Tribal Lands in EPA Region 8. Note, a water sample may not adequately capture or represent all sources of lead that may be present. For information on sources of lead that include service lines and interior plumbing, please visit the EPA's general information about lead in drinking water.
Replace Pre-2014 Faucets and Fixtures
Older faucets may contain higher levels of lead. Faucets manufactured and sold in the U.S. between 1986 and 2014 can contain up to 8% lead in brass used for water fixtures and fittings. Faucets manufactured and sold after 2014 are considered “lead-free” and contain less than 0.25% lead in brass alloys used for areas that come into contact with water.
Use a Certified Lead Filter
Water filters, including water-filtering pitchers, filters that attach directly to faucets, and other point-of-use devices, should be certified to remove lead by an organization such as the National Sanitation Foundation International (NSF), Underwriters Laboratory (UL), or Water Quality Association (WQA). Filters should only be used with cold water and replaced according to the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure they work effectively.
Replace Lead Service Lines
Customers can choose to replace their customer-owned lead service lines. If you elect to replace your service line sooner or are required to because the customer-owned portion of your service line is leaking, please call BOPU at 307.637.6460 to let us know the date your replacement work is scheduled. When your plumber/contractor has the hole dug at the curb stop, we will visually check the city-owned service line material. If it is lead, we will replace the city-owned portion as soon as we can at no cost to you.
Please note, if a customer-owned service line is leaking, lead service lines should NEVER be repaired as this can release a very high level of lead into the water. Leaking lead service lines must only be replaced.