On Tuesday April 4, 2023, The Environmental Protection Agency published a startling document  regarding the findings from the 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment (DWINSA) in 2021. This survey was conducted in order to identify infrastructure projects needed over the next 20 years for water systems to continue providing safe drinking water to the public. What was found was shocking.

It was previously estimated that there were around 7.3 million lead service lines  (LSLs) in the United States, but the recent survey now puts that number at a staggering 9.2 million, affecting considerably more people than previously believed. Although every state has varying numbers of these lead service lines, with Alaska notably being the lowest at 1,454, Florida and Illinois alone account for over 2 million LSLs, both actively providing drinking water to their residents via over a million LSLs each.

The survey consisted of 3,629 public water systems in all 60 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia as well as other U.S territories and included questions pertaining to lead service lines. Read the full press report here.

51. Alaska: 1,454

52. Oregon: 3,530

53. South Dakota: 4,141

54. Vermont: 5,263

55. Nevada: 9,048

56. Hawaii: 9,589

57. Wyoming: 10,477

58. Mississippi: 11,098

59. Arizona: 11,429

60. California: 13,476

61. Montana: 14,125

62. Utah: 14,293

63. New Hampshire: 14,819

64. New Mexico: 15,453

65. Maine: 18,057

66. West Virginia: 20,259

67. Washington: 22,030

68. North Dakota: 26,443

69. District of Columbia: 27,058

70. Oklahoma: 28,679

71. Kentucky: 40,207

72. Delaware: 42,479

73. Georgia: 45,985

74. Idaho: 49,434

75. Puerto Rico: 51,490

76. Nebraska: 53,230

77. Kansas: 54,107

78. Maryland: 71,166

79. Rhode Island: 75,749

80. Alabama: 91,544

81. Iowa: 96,436

82. South Carolina: 108,177

83. Colorado: 111,907

84. Massachusetts: 117,090

85. Minnesota: 136,873

86. Connecticut: 146,574

87. Arkansas: 171,771

88. Virginia: 187,883

89. Missouri: 202,112

90. Indiana: 265,400

91. Louisiana: 266,984

92. Michigan: 301,790

93. Wisconsin: 341,023

94. New Jersey: 349,357

95. North Carolina: 369,715

96. Tennessee: 381,342

97. New York: 494,007

98. Texas: 657,640

99. Pennsylvania: 688,697

100. Ohio: 745,061

101. Illinois: 1,043,294

And the state with the most lead service lines is...

Florida: 1,159,3

Lead service lines are known to be a significant source of lead contamination in drinking water. Even at low levels, lead ingestion can cause serious health implications especially for young children and pregnant women. While risk varies from individual to individual, there is significant evidence that lead can cause irreversible damage to the kidneys as well as the nervous, reproductive and cardiovascular systems.

Rest assured, all of our products have been independently tested and verified by EPA accredited laboratories to filter lead at a removal rate of up to 99.3%. You can find the test results for all of our products here.

The bottom line is lead piping isn't going to be removed all at once or anytime soon. Nor is the lead that we already have in our bodies. But you don’t need to wait for a solution. And you shouldn’t. Protect yourself (and your loved ones) from the dangers of lead right now with our breakthrough pitcher filter.