CARY, TOWN OF — Lead Service Line Inventory

Cary serves about 224,000 people in North Carolina. If you live or work here, you may wonder whether lead service lines are present in your neighborhood and what that means for your water.

What we know about lead service lines in Cary

A lead service line is the pipe that connects your home to the water main under the street. Lead pipes can leach lead into drinking water, especially if water is corrosive or sits in the pipes for hours.

As of now, the Town of Cary has not released a public inventory of lead service lines. This means the utility has not yet published data on how many lead, galvanized, or non-lead pipes serve the system. Without this inventory, residents and the town cannot pinpoint which neighborhoods or streets are most likely to have lead service lines.

Federal requirements and your right to know

The EPA's Lead and Copper Rule requires water utilities to maintain and update an inventory of known and suspected lead service lines. Many systems across the U.S. are still building these inventories—it's a large undertaking for systems of Cary's size.

You have the right to ask the Town of Cary for information about the service line material at your specific address. Even if a full inventory isn't public yet, the utility may have records on file.

What to do if you're concerned about lead

If you want to know whether your home has a lead service line, contact the Town of Cary's water utility directly. They can tell you what material serves your property. If you have a lead service line or older galvanized pipe, use a water filter certified for lead removal, run cold water before drinking, and avoid boiling water (which concentrates lead).

If you have health concerns—especially if you have young children or are pregnant—talk to your doctor or call the CDC's hotline. Lead exposure is a real public health issue, but there are steps you can take to reduce risk in your home.

Next steps for residents

• Contact the utility: Call or email the Town of Cary's water department and ask about the material of the service line at your address.
• Request the inventory: Ask whether the town has published or will publish its lead service line inventory online.
• Get your water tested: If you suspect lead, a simple lab test (often free or low-cost through your county health department) can tell you if it's in your water.
• Install or check your filter: If you have a lead service line, use an NSF-certified filter on your drinking water tap.

```json [ { "q": "How do I know if my house in Cary has a lead service line?", "a": "Contact the Town of Cary water utility with your address. They can check their records to tell you what material connects your home to the main. You can also look at the pipe where it enters your home—lead is soft, gray, and leaves a mark if you scratch it with a coin." }, { "q": "Is lead in Cary's water a big problem?", "a": "We don't have a public count yet of lead service lines in Cary, so it's hard to say how widespread the issue is. Lead is a real health concern if present, but many homes can reduce exposure with simple steps like using a certified filter and running cold water before drinking." }, { "q": "What should I do if my child drank water from a lead pipe?", "a": "One glass of water is unlikely to cause serious harm, but if you're worried about ongoing exposure, contact your pediatrician or the CDC's National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-5323. They can advise you on testing your water and your child's blood lead level." }, { "q": "Does Cary have funding to replace lead service lines?", "a": "We don't have information yet on whether Cary has received federal funding for lead service