Lead almost never arrives in the water your utility sends out. It dissolves into the water from your own service line, from lead solder in older joints, or from brass fixtures, which means the fix is at your property rather than at the treatment plant. Removing it comes down to two things: certified point of use filtration, and getting the lead bearing metal out of the path.
Find out where your lead is coming from
Start by identifying your service line, the pipe running from the street to your meter. Scratch a small area with a coin: lead is dull gray, scratches to a shiny silver and is not magnetic, while galvanized steel is magnetic and copper is orange. Then consider the interior plumbing, since lead solder was widely used in homes built before the 1986 federal restriction, and older brass faucets and valves can leach. Your water utility maintains a service line inventory, so ask them what they have recorded for your address before assuming anything.
Test rather than guess
Lead levels vary hugely with how long the water has been standing, so a single sample tells you little unless it is taken to a protocol. Labs typically ask for a first draw sample after several hours of no use, which shows the worst case, and sometimes a flushed sample, which shows what running water delivers. Use a certified laboratory rather than a strip, and if you are on a public system your annual Consumer Confidence Report gives useful context; the EPA notes that every community water system publishes one and maintains a finder to locate yours.
Certified filters are the practical fix
For drinking and cooking water, use a filter certified for lead reduction, which means tested against the NSF/ANSI 53 lead claim or, for reverse osmosis units, NSF/ANSI 58. Pitcher, faucet mounted and under sink filters all exist with genuine lead certification, and reverse osmosis handles lead very effectively. What matters is the certification mark for lead specifically, not a general claim about better taste, because carbon media that removes chlorine may do nothing for a dissolved metal. Replace cartridges on schedule, since lead breakthrough gives no warning in taste or flow.
Habits that reduce exposure immediately
Never draw cooking or drinking water from the hot tap, because hot water dissolves lead far more readily and hot water tanks accumulate sediment. Flush the tap before drawing water for consumption after any long period of standing, running it until it turns noticeably colder, which means you are getting water from the main rather than from the standing line. Clean faucet aerators periodically, since lead particles collect in the screen. Boiling does the opposite of helping: it concentrates lead as water evaporates.
Replacing the line and what comes after
Filtration is a control measure; replacing a lead service line is the permanent fix, and many utilities now run replacement programs with cost sharing. If only part of the line is replaced, lead levels can temporarily rise because disturbing the pipe releases scale, so keep filtering and flush thoroughly for a period afterward. Retest after any plumbing work. If your household is on a private well the source is still almost always your own plumbing, and our well water testing guide covers building a panel that includes metals.
Questions people ask about how to remove lead from water
Does boiling water remove lead?
No, and it makes matters worse, because water evaporates while the lead stays behind and becomes more concentrated in what is left.
Which filter certification should I look for?
Look for a lead reduction claim tested to NSF/ANSI 53, or NSF/ANSI 58 for reverse osmosis units, rather than a general taste and odor claim.
Is it safe to use hot tap water for cooking?
Not where lead is a concern, since hot water dissolves lead more readily, so fill pots from the cold tap and heat the water on the stove.
Can a water softener remove lead?
A softener is designed to exchange hardness minerals and is not a certified lead treatment, so it should never be relied on for that purpose.