Lead In Drinking Water In Missouri
What residents of Missouri need to know about lead in drinking water — including how it enters water, which utilities have documented violations, and what steps to take.
Source: EPA SDWIS, Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), CDC · Last reviewed: 2025-01-01
Quick Answer
Is lead in drinking water a real concern in Missouri?
Yes — St. Louis has some of the oldest housing stock in the Midwest, with very high concentrations of pre-1920 homes where lead service lines and lead solder are effectively standard.
Is this mostly a public-water issue, a private-well issue, or both?
Both public water service lines and household plumbing; St. Louis concentrates the highest risk, while Kansas City's older core and other Missouri cities have similar pre-1986 infrastructure.
What is the main reason residents should care?
St. Louis grew rapidly in the 19th century and has hundreds of thousands of rowhouses and older single-family homes built before the federal lead ban. Lead service lines connecting these homes to the water main are common throughout the city's older neighborhoods.
Key Facts
| Federal Lead Action Level | 15 µg/L — no safe level per CDC |
| St. Louis housing profile | One of the oldest major cities in the interior — dense pre-1920 rowhouses with original lead service lines |
| Kansas City | Older Midtown and east side neighborhoods also have pre-1940 housing with lead plumbing |
| Federal MCLG | Zero |
| State oversight | Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) |
Why This Matters in Missouri
St. Louis is one of the oldest major cities in the American interior, and its housing stock reflects that. Neighborhoods like Dutchtown, Benton Park, Baden, Carondelet, and North St. Louis have dense concentrations of pre-1920 rowhouses and shotgun homes with original lead service lines and lead solder. Missouri American Water and St. Louis City utilities serve these areas and are required to maintain and submit lead service line inventories under the LCRR. Kansas City, Missouri also has significant pre-1940 housing in its older Midtown, Hyde Park, and east side neighborhoods. MDNR enforces the Lead and Copper Rule statewide across Missouri's more than 1,800 public water systems.
Missouri Utilities With Lead Violation Records
The utilities listed below have at least one lead violation on record in EPA's SDWIS database. Violations may be open or resolved — see individual utility pages for current status and risk level.
Kansas City Pws
Kansas City · 513,800 served
St Louis City Pws
St. Louis · 304,709 served
Springfield Pws
Springfield · 210,898 served
City of Columbia Utilities
Missouri · 126,254 served
St Charles Pws
St. Charles · 73,040 served
Johnson County Pwsd 2
Holden · 12,490 served
Neosho Pws
Neosho · 12,157 served
How Lead Gets Into Drinking Water
Lead service lines
The pipe connecting a home to the water main may be made of lead, especially in pre-1986 construction. Water sitting in these lines can accumulate lead before it reaches the tap.
Lead solder
Lead solder at pipe joints was banned for potable water systems in 1986. Homes built before that date — including significant portions of older Missouri cities — may still have lead solder throughout their plumbing.
Older brass fixtures
Faucets, valves, and fixtures with high lead content were common before the 2014 revision of 'lead-free' standards. Replacing older fixtures at kitchen and drinking taps can meaningfully reduce exposure.
Corrosive water chemistry
Soft, acidic, or low-alkalinity water dissolves lead from plumbing more readily. Utilities use orthophosphate and other corrosion control treatments, but household plumbing after the meter is not within their control.
Who Should Pay Closest Attention
Families with children under six in St. Louis's older neighborhoods — particularly in rental housing — face elevated lead exposure risk. St. Louis has high rates of both lead paint and lead plumbing exposure in older rental housing. Renters in pre-1920 Missouri rowhouses should assume lead plumbing is likely present.
Families with children under six
Pregnant residents
Households in homes built before 1986
Renters who cannot inspect building plumbing
Residents on a confirmed lead service line
Households that had plumbing work done recently (disturbances dislodge protective scale)
How to Check Your Situation in Missouri
- 1
Identify your water utility. Use the ZIP lookup below or browse the Missouri utility directory on this site.
- 2
Read your utility's page on this site to see its current risk level and any open lead violations.
- 3
Contact your utility and ask for your address-level service line material status. Under the federal Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR), utilities must maintain and provide this information.
- 4
Review your utility's most recent Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) — mailed annually or available on the utility's website.
- 5
Consider testing your tap water at a Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR)-certified lab. Your state health department or Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) maintains a list of certified labs.
- 6
If you have young children or are pregnant, install a certified NSF/ANSI 53 or 58 filter at the kitchen tap as a precautionary measure.
Treatment Options
Boiling does not remove lead. Use a certified filter for drinking and cooking water.
NSF/ANSI Standard 53 — Activated Carbon Block
Under-sink or pitcher filters certified to Standard 53 are independently verified to reduce lead. Replace filters on the manufacturer's schedule — an overdue filter may not perform as certified.
NSF/ANSI Standard 58 — Reverse Osmosis
RO systems certified to Standard 58 remove 95–99% of lead and a broad range of contaminants. Requires under-sink installation. More comprehensive than Standard 53 for households with multiple contaminant concerns.
Flushing — temporary mitigation only
EPA recommends flushing the cold tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes if water has sat in pipes for 6+ hours. Not a substitute for certified filtration or service line replacement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Pages
Lead — National Overview
All U.S. utilities with lead records
Missouri State Overview
All utilities and water quality data
Nitrate in Drinking Water
A separate but common concern
Reverse Osmosis Guide
Removes 95–99% of lead
Activated Carbon Filter Guide
NSF/ANSI 53 certified options
All Contaminants
Complete reference library
Data Sources & Provenance
All data on this page is sourced from official U.S. government or public datasets.
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Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) ↗