Get a Free Water Test Kit for Lead
If you’re a Tacoma Water customer, you can request a free kit to have the water at your home or business tested for lead.
The kits will include instructions for you to collect a water sample at a tap in your home or business and give it to Tacoma Water, who will send it to an independent, state-certified lab for analysis. The results of the analysis will be public information, but the home or business address you provide will be removed.
After you receive your kit:
- Follow the instructions in the brochure or watch the short instructional video below about how to collect a water sample.
- Once you have taken the water sample, call us at 253-502-8665 within seven days to schedule a pick-up.
- We then send the sample to an independent, state-certified lab for analysis.
- You will receive the test results by mail within eight weeks. If you have not received your results in that time, call 253-502-8665.
WHAT’S IN YOUR KIT
- “HOW TO” brochure
- Large sports bottle
- Small sample bottle
- Blue “Lead in Water Sampling Information” card
- 4” x 8” clear bubble-lined bag
- 6” x 9” return envelope
- Five tags to remind you not to use fixtures before you take water samples
If any item is missing, please contact Tacoma Water at 253-502-8665 or waterquality@cityoftacoma.org to ask for another kit.
Test Kit Instructions
- How to collect your sample
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Collect your sample from the kitchen faucet. If there’s a filter on your kitchen faucet, collect the sample from a bathroom faucet that’s used regularly.
- Prepare
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Determine a time when you will let water sit in your plumbing system for 6-18 hours before collecting your sample.
Just before you’re ready to stop water use for 6-18 hours, ensure that cold water was the last water run through the kitchen faucet (or bathroom faucet – which ever you will take the water sample from). If you don’t remember if cold water was used last, please open the cold water faucet and let it run for 15 seconds.
Hang “Do Not Use” tags on toilet flush handles and kitchen and bathroom faucets. If you don’t have enough tags for all of your fixtures, please hang them on the locations most likely to be used.
Stop using your water. Do not run water outside or inside – including flushing the toilet – for 6-18 hours. Remind everyone in your household.
- Write it down
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On the “Lead in Water Sampling Information” card, write down the time and date you stopped using your water.
- Collect your sample
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After 6-18 hours, please collect the sample. Remove the lids from the large sports bottle and small sample bottle.
Before running any water, put the large sports bottle under the cold water faucet that you want to test. Turn on the cold water faucet as you would to fill a glass of water and fill the bottle to the bottle neck. Turn off the water.
Put the lid back on the large sports bottle and screw it on tightly. Shake this bottle or turn it over several times to mix the sample thoroughly.
Pour water from the large sports bottle into the small sample bottle. Fill to the neck of the small sample bottle. Put the lid back on the small sample bottle. Screw the lid on tightly.
Discard the water in the large sports bottle or use it for non-cooking or non-drinking purposes. Return only the water in the small sample bottle to Tacoma Water. The large sports bottle is yours to keep.
Place the small sample bottle inside the 4” x 8” clear bubble-lined resealable bag. Seal the bag.
- Write it down
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Complete the required information on the blue “Lead in Water Sampling Information” card. Please remember to complete the time and date of collection and to note if you collected the water from kitchen or bathroom faucet.
- Call for pickup
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Place the sealed bubble-lined bag AND the completed information card inside the 6″ X 9″ return envelope. Seal this envelope with the self-adhesive strip.
Call 253-502-8665 within seven days to schedule a pickup.
You will receive the test results within eight weeks. If you have not received your results in that time, call 253-502-8665.