OUC’s Commitment to High Quality Water
Doing Our Part to Support Our Community
Water is our most valuable natural resource, and for more than 100 years, OUC has been proud to deliver clean, safe and great-tasting water to customers across Central Florida.
As part of this ongoing commitment, and to comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Revision (LCRR), OUC – like other utilities nationwide – is offering proactive water testing at schools and licensed daycares in our service territory.
From 2025 through the end of 2029, OUC’s Water Quality Lab will test samples of drinking water at each school or daycare for lead. In the unlikely event that results indicate water quality concerns, OUC will coordinate with administrators to offer additional tests to help identify the problem and determine whether the facility will need to replace any infrastructure.
Learn more about the EPA’s Lead & Copper Rule Revision and OUC’s plan for testing below. You also can access OUC’s annual Water Quality Reports to learn about our extensive water testing.
A Century of Quality
OUC draws its water from the pristine Lower Floridan Aquifer. We’ve used the same source since 1957 with a proven track record of producing water that meets the highest standards of clean and safe drinking water.
Chemists at our Water Quality Laboratory perform thousands of chemical and bacteriological tests annually, analyzing water quality for more than 135 regulated and unregulated substances, including lead and copper.
The laboratory is accredited to perform a wide range of analyses and plays an important role in keeping with OUC’s drinking water regulatory compliance as required by the EPA and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FLDEP).
In addition to performing tests at our water plants, OUC also conducts tests at multiple points along the way to your home or business throughout our service territory.
New EPA Requirements to Identify Sources of Lead
In 1991, the EPA established the Lead and Copper Rule to reduce exposure to lead and copper in water, and recently, the organization made changes to federal regulations involving lead in water.
The Lead and Copper Rule Revisions to the Safe Drinking Water Act will take effect October 16, 2024, and requires utilities nationwide to notify all customers who may have a lead service line on their property. This includes developing and publishing an inventory of known and suspected lead water lines within their service area. OUC has expanded our Lead and Copper program to meet this requirement.
View an Inventory of Our Pipes
The primary source of lead and copper in tap water is the customer’s plumbing. Older infrastructure, including lead service lines or lead solder in copper pipes, can cause lead to leach into the water through corrosion.
The longer water stands in the pipes when not in use (for example, overnight or over a weekend), the higher the lead concentration is likely to become. If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children.
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Lead pipes have been banned since the mid1980s, and infrastructure installed within the last 35 years is unlikely to contain lead. Copper, though, can be found in a customer’s plumbing in properties of all ages. OUC has effectively implemented corrosion control treatment to prevent copper and lead contamination throughout our service territory.
We test our water before it leaves the treatment plant, and at several points across our distribution network, to ensure it meets all federal and state standards, including the revised rules for lead and copper.
OUC is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but we cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components owned by customers. When water has been sitting in pipes for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using the water for drinking or cooking.
To learn more about lead exposure, visit the lead information pages provided by the EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
EPA
CDC
How is OUC Complying with New Regulations?
Water utilities across the nation must offer testing – to be conducted over the next five years – for lead in water inside licensed daycare facilities and elementary and middle schools within their service territory.
Even when water entering a school – in other words, water provided by OUC that flows through OUC infrastructure – meets all federal and state public health standards for lead, older plumbing materials on school or facility property may contribute to elevated levels of lead in drinking water.
As part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring the safety and quality of drinking water in our community, OUC will collect water samples at schools and childcare facilities and facilitate lead testing.
These tests are proactive and preventative, and all schools and childcare centers in OUC’s service territories will be offered the opportunity to test drinking water as part of a responsible practice to ensure a healthy learning environment. Participation by the facility is voluntary.
What’s Next?
Testing guidelines were recently formalized by the EPA, and OUC is working closely with local schools and daycares to coordinate the process. Testing begins in 2025 and will be conducted over the next five years.
Following the tests, OUC will report results and help facility staff determine whether their school or daycare will need to replace plumbing, water fountains, or other infrastructure and recommend a course of action. Results will be shared directly with school administration and posted publicly on this web page as updates are available.
OUC’s Water Quality Report
OUC publishes an annual Water Quality Report available to all water customers. It contains detailed information about our drinking water and the steps we take to ensure its safety. These reports outline what we test for and compare the levels found in OUC water to levels allowable under current regulations. The report also includes a section publishing the results of our lead and copper sampling at customer taps. Past issues of Water Quality Reports are available here.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions about OUC’s Lead and Copper testing are available below. For additional questions or more information, please email lcp@ouc.com.
In 1991, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Lead and Copper Rule to reduce exposure to lead and copper in water. These contaminants are not present in Central Florida’s water, but can occur through corrosion of service lines, fixtures or plumbing.
As a part of the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), OUC is required to sample drinking water inside all schools and daycares within our service territory.
OUC does not use any lead service pipes or plumbing materials across our service territory. Our water quality team conducts thousands of tests every year to ensure our water, drawn from the pristine Lower Floridan Aquifer, is safe, clean and great tasting.
Annually, we conduct thousands of water quality tests on a periodic basis throughout the system. The number of tests performed is three times more than required.
The results indicate that OUC delivers excellent water to the tap — water that meets or exceeds all federal and state regulations for drinking water. It comes from one of the most protected and pristine sources in the world – the lower Floridan Aquifer. Then we treat this high-quality water with extraordinary care so that it stays that way.
Every year, OUC publishes a Water Quality Report (available in English and Spanish), which contains the most recent results for the monitoring period for that reporting year.
As a part of the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), OUC is required to sample drinking water inside all schools and daycare facilities.
Even when water entering a school meets all federal and state public health standards for lead, older plumbing materials on school property may contribute to elevated levels of lead in drinking water.
The only way to know if there is lead in water is to test. To ensure the safety of our community, OUC is providing free water testing for all schools and daycare facilities in our service territory in accordance with EPA regulations. Remediation options will be included with the results sent to daycare facilities and schools according to recommendations from the EPA’s 3Ts (training, testing, taking action) for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools and Child Care Facilities.
Lead is toxic to people of all ages, especially young children. Because children are still developing, their bodies absorb metals at a higher rate than those of adults. Lead exposure can lead to a low attention span, behavioral problems, learning disabilities, impaired growth, and hearing loss. In adults, lead can increase the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and problems with the kidneys and nervous system.
The symptoms of lead exposure are often difficult to identify. If you have concerns that your child may have been exposed to lead, talk to your family's health provider about the possibility of testing.
Today, public health regulations ensure that almost all modern consumer products are lead free. However, exposure can still occur through lead paint on older homes and buildings. Lead can also enter water through corrosion of older pipes and plumbing products, and it may be found residually in soil and air because of industrial activities.
The primary source of lead and copper in tap water is a customer's plumbing. Older infrastructure, including lead service lines or lead solder in copper pipes, can cause lead to leach into the water through corrosion. The longer water remains stagnant in pipes, the higher the concentration of lead is likely to become.
OUC has effectively implemented corrosion control treatment across our service territory. Our water is treated with sodium hypochlorite to increase its pH and prevent corrosion, ensuring it is safe to drink.
No. These water tests are proactive, preventative and required by the EPA for water utilities to stay in compliance with drinking water regulations. All schools and childcare centers in OUC’s service territories will be offered the opportunity to test drinking water, and participating in these tests is a responsible practice to ensure a healthy learning environment.
All schools in OUC’s service territory, public and private, and all children’s care facilities, will be tested through the program unless they opt out. Schools will be notified in advance of their scheduled testing dates.
A list of these facilities can be found here.
Results will be shared directly with school administration and posted publicly on OUC’s website.
Five different samples of drinking water (such as water fountains and faucets in school kitchens) will be collected from distribution points across the campus. Water not used for drinking (such as restrooms, showers, or irrigation) will not be tested.
Once sample sites have been identified, school or childcare center staff will collect water samples in receptacles provided by OUC. An OUC team member will pick up the samples from the front office.
By allowing water to sit in pipes between 8 to 18 hours (ideally from the end of the school day to the start of classes the next morning), OUC can accurately test the highest level of lead concentration likely to be present on a normal weekday.
No, OUC employees will not enter the school or childcare center at any point. A water quality lab team member will drop off supplies and instructions, and school or daycare staff will be responsible for collecting water samples from specified points. OUC will return to pick up the collected water for testing.
Test results will be shared directly with administrators or staff and posted publicly on OUC’s website.
If OUC’s tests indicate unsafe levels of lead in any of the water samples, the water quality team will coordinate with school or daycare facility staff to conduct additional water tests, identify the problem, and help arrive at a solution.
Remediation options will be included with the results sent to daycare facilities and schools according to recommendations from the EPA’s 3Ts (training, testing, taking action) for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools and Child Care Facilities. It is the customer’s responsibility to replace or remove leaded plumbing materials that pose a health risk to children.