Residential lead pipes and service lines are a major infrastructure issue in every U.S. state. Although the installation of lead pipes has been banned since 1986, when Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act, millions of old lead pipes still leach dangerous heavy metals into tap water across America.
The number of lead service lines (also called LSLs) in Oklahoma is unknown. The state is performing an audit of its service line materials, and it plans to publish its findings in October 2024, along with a plan for replacing all of them.
Keep reading to learn about the dangers of lead pipes, how to identify them, and what you can do to protect yourself and your household. We’ll also help you find plumbers who can update your old water system and eliminate any lead.
Key takeaways
On average, replacing a water service line (the pipe that connects a home to a city’s water main) in Oklahoma costs $1,202 to $3,367, though prices vary from city to city.
Lead pipes significantly reduce residential water quality, even if that water has been treated at a water treatment plant, and lead-contaminated water has been proven to have negative health effects.
Oklahoma cities will soon announce programs through which residents can apply for cheap or free replacements for their lead service lines.
Lead pipe replacement costs in Oklahoma
The average Oklahoman spends between $1,202 and $3,367 to replace their private service line, and replacing all of the pipes in a home typically costs $4,000 between $12,000. These costs don’t include permit fees, which can vary dramatically depending on where you live.
That said, exact costs will depend on which city you live in, how large your home is, and how much of your water system is made with lead. This means you could spend much less than average to remove lead fixtures from your water system. Additionally, Oklahoma is expected to roll out some lead service line replacement programs to defray the costs in the near future.
Keep in mind that this lead service line inventory and the resulting replacement programs will only target the service lines between residential water meters and the city’s water supply. Cities, states, and water utilities will not inspect, inventory, or replace lead pipes inside homes.
The table below can give you an idea of what you might pay to replace your service line depending on your location, but this variability means you’ll only know precisely how much updating your pipes will cost after you’ve met with a plumber and had your system inspected.
What lead service line replacement costs in different Oklahoma cities
City | Average price range |
Oklahoma City | $1,295–$3,367 |
Shawnee | $1,202–$3,126 |
Clinton | $1,249–$3,247 |
Tulsa | $1,264–$3,287 |
McAlester | $1,218–$3,167 |
Poteau | $1,218–$3,167 |
Ardmore | $1,218–$3,167 |
How to tell if your home has lead pipes
To prepare for the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent Lead and Copper Rule Revisions, several cities in Oklahoma (like Norman and Oklahoma City) are currently conducting surveys to determine which Oklahoma homes have lead service lines. Cities are prioritizing homes built before 1987, and if your home is eligible, you should get a postcard.
While this is a step in the right direction, unfortunately, your city may not yet know whether or not your service line is made from lead. You can contact your city’s water management department to ask if they have records about your home’s service line, but they may not yet have that information for you.
If your home was built in the last 30 years, you don’t need to worry about this, but if you have an older home, you should take these two steps to determine if there is lead in your water system:
Test the water that comes out of your faucets using a lead test kit. This will reveal if your water is being contaminated somewhere in your home.
Inspect each of your home’s pipes or hire a plumber to do it for you. If a pipe is made from gray metal and a magnet won’t stick to it, it’s almost certainly made from lead.
If you find that your tap water or any part of your home’s water system contains lead, you should contact a plumber immediately and avoid drinking or cooking with it. Even boiling water will not remove the lead content, so you should only use bottled water for consumption.
Why you should replace lead pipes
According to the EPA, there is no safe level of lead consumption. Even trace amounts of lead in your drinking water can result in serious cardiovascular issues, kidney failure, brain damage, and cancer. Lead has a cumulative effect, so these issues are especially pronounced in people who consume lead when they’re children, but adults should also avoid lead exposure.
This all makes the prevalence of lead pipes in U.S. homes a serious public health issue, which is why Congress and the EPA have taken steps to remove lead lines connecting residential water systems to public water supplies.
To keep everyone in your household safe from toxic lead in their drinking water, you should replace all your lead fixtures with copper as soon as possible.
Lead pipe replacement programs in Oklahoma
Jasmin Sievert with the Oklahoma City utilities department has stated that, after the city publishes the findings from its survey in October 2024, it plans to publish its replacement plan as well. Every city in Oklahoma seems to be in this preliminary phase and hasn’t published any information about lead replacement programs.
The good news is that the federal government granted Oklahoma $64,805,000 to update its water system in the near future. This funding will revamp water infrastructure across the state, including replacing residential lead and galvanized service lines. So, the funding for the project should already be in place when Oklahoma is ready to implement replacement plans.
Replacing lead pipes in Oklahoma
Now that you know how dangerous lead pipes can be, how to find them, and how much it can cost to replace them, it’s time to find an Oklahoma plumber who can help you update your home’s water system. And be sure to check back here in the coming months to learn more about Oklahoma’s upcoming replacement programs.
Oklahoma lead pipe replacement in FAQ
Yes, lead pipes leach lead particles into tap water, and even a small amount of lead exposure from drinking or cooking with lead-contaminated water can result in serious illnesses like hypertension, cancer, and brain damage. Therefore, it is essential to replace lead pipes as soon as you learn about them.
Copper pipes are generally regarded as the best alternative to lead pipes. While many lead pipes and service lines are replaced with PVC, this material may also have some health risks, so many health advocates say that plastics shouldn’t be used to replace lead fixtures.
The installation of lead pipes was banned at different times in different places, with some city and state laws banning the material years before the nationwide ban in 1986. Check your own city’s records to determine when lead pipes were banned in your area, but generally, the water system in any home built after 1986 should be lead-free.
Joe is a home improvement expert and content specialist for Fixr.com. He’s been writing home services content for over eight years, leveraging his research and composition skills to produce consumer-minded articles that demystify everything from moving to remodeling. His work has been sourced by various news sources and business journals, including Nasdaq.com and USA Today. When he isn’t writing about home improvement or climate issues, Joe can be found in bookstores and record shops.