Loading water data...
168 Rhode Island water systems have inventoried 293,323 service lines for EPA. 29,760 (10%) are confirmed lead and 55,698 (19%) are still of unknown material. Below: every large or city-linked Rhode Island utility ranked by lead lines.
Rhode Island water systems reported 29,760 lead service lines and 1,730 galvanized lines requiring replacement as of Q2 2026 — 10% of the 293,323 lines inventoried and 1.4% of the national lead total, ranking #12 of 51. PROVIDENCE-CITY OF reports the most in the state (25,785).
PROVIDENCE-CITY OF (25,785), PAWTUCKET WATER SUPPLY BOARD VEOLIA-NA (714), WARWICK-CITY OF (55).
Find your utility in the table below, then check its published service line inventory (most utilities post an address-lookup map) or call the number on your water bill. Utilities must notify customers whose line is lead, galvanized-requiring-replacement or unknown. You can also test the pipe entering your home: lead is soft, dull gray, non-magnetic and turns shiny when scratched.
Under EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, systems must replace lead and galvanized-requiring-replacement lines within 10 years starting in 2027; systems with very high counts can receive longer deadlines. Ask your utility for its replacement plan and whether it covers the homeowner-owned portion.
Use a filter certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead for drinking and cooking, flush the tap after water has sat for hours, never use hot tap water for drinking or infant formula, and confirm your actual level with a certified lab test.
Source: EPA SDWIS Service Line Inventory, Q2 2026 snapshot (updated 2026-08-18). Counts are service lines, not people.
A certified mail-in lab test shows exactly what's in your water — lead plus dozens of other contaminants — with EPA-grade accuracy. Know your real levels before spending on a filter.
Certified lab · results in days
Community systems serving 50,000+ people plus systems linked to a city report on this site (4 shown). State totals above include every reporting system.
| # | Water system | Status | Lead | GRR | Unknown | Total lines | City report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PROVIDENCE-CITY OF RI1592024 · 333,142 served | Lead service lines present | 25,785 | 0 | 7,402 | 80,346 | |
| 2 | PAWTUCKET WATER SUPPLY BOARD VEOLIA-NA RI1592021 · 98,130 served | Lead service lines present | 714 | 0 | 20,247 | 22,853 | |
| 3 | WARWICK-CITY OF RI1615627 · 73,289 served | Lead service lines present | 55 | 3 | 0 | 26,337 | |
| 4 | KENT COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY RI1559511 · 94,107 served | No lead service lines reported | 0 | 0 | 2,376 | 27,349 |
A lead or unknown service line means lead can enter water after it leaves the treatment plant, so city-level test results understate what reaches your tap. Filter drinking and cooking water with an NSF/ANSI 53 lead-certified system, and see the lead in drinking water guide or Rhode Island city water reports.
We may earn a commission from filters purchased through these links, at no extra cost to you.