Northshore Utility District says water lead-free in north Kirkland

Residents serviced by Northshore Utility District are drinking lead-free water the district said in a press release.

Residents serviced by Northshore Utility District are drinking lead-free water the district said in a press release.

Following high levels of lead found in homes serviced by Tacoma Public Utilities, Seattle Public Utilities sent out an advisory to residents to run their house water for a few minutes if it had not been run in the last six hours to flush out any residual led.

The high lead content in house water, utility officials said, was due to older, lead-based “gooseneck” fittings in pipes, though the pipes themselves are not made of lead.

Northshore Utility District said have no records of houses in their district have gooseneck fittings, and the water is safe to drink.

However, concerned residents can take their water to AmTest Labs in Kirkland for a water test, which costs around $25 each. AmTest Labs is located at 13600 Northeast 126th Place, Suite C, in Kirkland.

A spokesperson for AmTest Labs said they have been receiving far more calls for water testing since stories covering the Tacoma water lead levels broke.