Kauai water department offers free lead testing for customers

A limited number of Kauai Department of Water customers in Kilauea, Haena-Wainiha and Hanalei can get their tap water tested for lead at no cost through Aug. 5, with the county collecting samples directly from homes and sending them for laboratory analysis.

The program is being run by the Kauai Department of Water in partnership with the Hawaii State Department of Health and is tied to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead and Copper Rule. Under that rule, water systems monitor customer taps because lead and copper can enter drinking water primarily through plumbing materials, not just from the source water itself.

Participating customers will draw water from an interior kitchen or bathroom cold-water tap, the standard sampling point for residential buildings, and Department of Water staff will pick up the samples. The county says the testing will be done at no cost to the customer, and results will be shared with participants after the lab work is complete. Because the program is limited, residents who want a spot are being asked to call the Department of Water at (808) 245-5448 as soon as possible.

For households, the practical value is straightforward: this is a chance to see what is coming out of the tap at home without paying for private testing. It also offers an early look at whether plumbing materials in a house or service line may be contributing to lead exposure risk. Under the EPA’s lead-and-copper standards, a system must take additional actions if lead exceeds 15 parts per billion or copper exceeds 1.3 parts per million in more than 10% of sampled customer taps.

The county’s move comes as Kauai water officials continue long-running compliance work under the same federal rule. In January 2024, the Department of Water said it would conduct islandwide water-service-line inspections at meter boxes to identify the pipe materials serving homes and businesses. The department also points residents to its mission of providing safe, affordable and sufficient drinking water for Kauai.

Residents checking their own water quality now have another benchmark to compare with the county’s broader reporting. The Department of Water’s 2026 Water Quality Report covers Jan. 1, 2025 through Dec. 31, 2025, giving customers a separate snapshot of systemwide conditions while the targeted lead testing focuses on homes in Kilauea, Haena-Wainiha and Hanalei.