Lead Water Lines in Cincinnati: How to Check Yours
Updated 2026-10 · Cincinnati, OH
The scale of it
A water service line is the pipe that brings drinking water from the main in the street into the house. In older Cincinnati housing, many were made of lead. In 2024 Greater Cincinnati Water Works estimated about 35,000 residential properties might have lead service lines, began sending letters to every property with a known or potentially lead line, and set a goal of replacing all of them by 2037.
How to check your own
Find where the water line comes through the basement wall, before the meter. Lead pipe is dull grey, soft enough that a coin scratch shows shiny silver, and a magnet will not stick to it. Galvanized steel is also grey but hard, and a magnet sticks. Copper is the colour of a penny where scratched.
GCWW also publishes an interactive map of known lead service lines in the city on its website, and its lead line team can tell you what its records show for your address.
What it costs owners
Cincinnati used to split the cost of private-side replacement with owners, and few took it up. Since then the city has moved to paying the entire cost of replacement, and GCWW describes its program as replacing both publicly and privately owned lead lines at no additional cost to property owners, funded by a mix of local, state and federal money. The owner still has to sign an authorisation before work can start. Check GCWW's current terms before you pay anyone privately for this work.
Found lead, or galvanized pipe that has gone weak and rusty? Call and a local plumbing company can look at what is inside the house.
Inside the house is a separate question
GCWW's program deals with the service line. Lead solder on old copper, galvanized pipe that held lead particles, and old brass fixtures are inside the house and are the owner's to deal with. A plumber can tell you what is there. Until then, run the cold tap for a short time after water has sat overnight, and use cold water, not hot, for drinking and cooking.
Where to go next
Common questions
Does Norwood or the suburbs get GCWW lead replacement?
It depends on who supplies your water. GCWW serves well beyond the city, and some suburbs have their own arrangements. Golf Manor, for example, has offered GCWW replacement with assessment financing. Ask your water supplier.
I rent. Can I get the line replaced?
The owner has to authorise the work, but you can ask GCWW what its records show for your address and pass that to your landlord.
Is my water unsafe if I have a lead line?
Lead can dissolve into water that sits in the pipe. Follow GCWW's guidance, run the cold tap after water has stood, and consider a filter certified for lead until the line is replaced.
How do I tell lead from galvanized pipe?
Scratch it gently with a coin and try a magnet. Lead scratches to shiny silver and a magnet will not stick; galvanized steel is hard and magnetic.