The Palm Bay Utilities Department (PBUD) is dedicated to ensuring its customers have healthy and clean drinking water. Because of this, PBUD is offering to test customers' water for lead and copper at no expense to them.
Every three (3) years, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) requires PBUD to gather samples from customers throughout its water distribution system to monitor and minimize lead and copper levels in the drinking water. Lead and copper are primarily introduced to drinking water through the corrosion of plumbing materials, which contain lead and copper. Prior to 1986, lead was a primary component in the solder used to join copper pipes. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers those homes built between 1983 and 1986 to be the highest risk homes for exposure to lead through solder.
According to The Water Research Foundation, lead is a toxic metal that can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels. Lead is persistent and can bioaccumulate in the body over time. Young children are particularly vulnerable to lead because lead's physical and behavioral effects occur at lower exposure levels in children than in adults. A dose of lead that would have little effect on an adult can significantly affect a child. People who drink water containing copper in excess of 1.3 mg/L may experience short-term nausea, while long-term exposure can affect the liver and kidneys. Lead is rarely found in source water and usually enters drinking water through corrosion of household plumbing. Lead at the tap can come from a variety of sources, including lead piping inside the home, lead-based solder, and brass components.
On Tuesday, September 12, 2023, PBUD staff will provide a contactless delivery of a sample kit to the participating address with simple instructions on how to properly gather the water sample. The following morning, Wednesday, September 13, 2023, personnel will return to pick up the sample and deliver it to the lab for processing.
Due to the high demand for this testing, early registration is recommended, as the Utilities Department has limited sampling kits available. Please provide confirmation of your participation in the lead and copper testing to outreach@palmbayflorida.org or by calling the Utilities Community Outreach Coordinator at 321-952-3410 by Friday, September 8, 2023.
If registering by email, please be sure to indicate your participation by typing "Lead & Copper" into the subject line of your email. Please include your name, address, and contact information in the body of your email.
Your cooperation and assistance with this effort is greatly appreciated. All participants will receive notification of their lead and copper results and a small gift for participating! Results will be provided to participants at the same time of submission to the State unless excessive lead and/or copper levels are found. In this case, immediate notification will be provided to those participants, usually within ten (10) working days from reported results.
