Minnesota Department of Health releases new lead service line map

(ABC 6 News) — The Minnesota Department of Health released its new lead service line map on Friday.

The map indicates that there are thousands of lead pipes across Minnesota that need to be replaced. Residents in Minnesota can use the map to not only check their own home’s status, but they can also explore other parts of the state.

In Rochester, out of about 42,000 customer-owned service lines, about 225 contain lead. A service line is the pipe connecting the water main to the interior plumbing of a home/building.

In an email statement to ABC 6 News, Tim McCollough, the General Manager of Rochester Public Utilities said “RPU is committed to protecting the community from lead drinking water,” he goes on to say “RPU has been proactively working to get the lead out of the water system for years.”

The State of Minnesota has set a goal of replacing all lead service lines by 2033.

If you have lead in your pipes, the Department of Health says you should let the faucet run for around 3-5 minutes because the more time water has been sitting in your pipes, the more lead in may contain.

You should also use cold water for drinking, making food, and baby formula because cold water releases less lead than hot water.

Correction – An earlier version of this story incorrectly indicated that there was a pipeline in Rochester serving more than 100,000 people that contained lead. The 41,000+ service lines in Rochester do serve more than 114,000 people. However, again, only about 225 of those contain lead.