The City of Amsterdam has released information about lead found in the water of homes and buildings that were recently tested.

The 90^th percentile sample of water had 28 parts per billion, 13 parts per billion over the action level, or level for enforcement, which is 15 parts per billion.

City leaders said it was a small amount. But Mayor Michael Cinquanti (D – Amsterdam) and Chief Water Plant Operator Randy Gardinier have set a goal of eliminating lead lines from buildings altogether.

The city’s water infrastructure recently underwent an upgrade, ensuring the water supply is lead-free. The lead found in drinking water, they said, is coming from individual homes’ pipes.

“If we have 1,000 lead lines, and we may have more than that, that’s a $10 million project. We need to find money to pay for that, and we’re looking for it, we’re going to continue to look for it,” Mayor Cinquanti said.

As an example of one program offering funding, Amsterdam was approved to work with the Environmental Protection Agency to use money from the bipartisan infrastructure law to replace lead lines. It’s an initiative to help underserved communities as the EPA sets an October deadline for communities across the country to identify lead plumbing.

The city is calling on the community to help identify where lead pipes are located so they can be replaced. Similar projects have been conducted in Albany and Troy.

“There’s many homes that we don’t know where the lead service lines are, and it’s very important. We’re working on an inventory which is required by the EPA by October of where lead lines and copper lines are. So we’re working on that but we need help from the community also,” said Gardinier.

Homeowners can report the material of their pipes here.

The city shared these tips if you have lead pipes: regularly run water for several minutes to flush out lead; use cold water for cooking; boiling water will not reduce lead; use bottled water or a water filter; replace your plumbing if it’s found to be made of lead.

Thursday Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced $129M in funding for New York State to remove lead pipes. The funding is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.