Lead pipes in Rhode Island
Rhode Island's 88 community water systems reported 29,755 lead and 1,731 galvanized-requiring-replacement service lines, plus 54,075 of unknown material. That ranks #20 among states for confirmed lead lines.
- Lead 10%
- Galvanized (replace) 0.6%
- Unknown 18%
- Non-lead 71%
11% of the service lines Rhode Island utilities reported are lead or galvanized requiring replacement, well above the national share of 3.1%. 18% are still unidentified (national: 21%). The largest counts are in City of Providence (25,785), City of Newport (2,889), Westerly Water Department (1,400). 1 systems haven't reported counts yet.
Since 2025 Q1, reported lead and galvanized lines in Rhode Island went from 31,504 to 31,486 (down 18). See which systems made the most progress.
Systems with confirmed lead lines (17)
| Water system | Lead | Galv. | Unknown | % lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of ProvidenceCranston | 25,785 | 0 | 7,402 | 32% |
| City of NewportMiddletown | 1,603 | 1,286 | 6,322 | 20% |
| Westerly Water DepartmentWesterly | 1,362 | 38 | 1,051 | 11% |
| Pawtucket Water Supply Board Veolia-NaCentral Falls | 714 | 0 | 20,247 | 3.1% |
| Bristol County Water AuthorityBarrington | 5 | 279 | 359 | 1.8% |
| Woonsocket Water DivisionWoonsocket | 80 | 5 | 78 | 0.9% |
| Lincoln Water CommissionLincoln | 76 | 0 | 1,987 | 1.2% |
| City of WarwickWarwick | 55 | 3 | 0 | 0.2% |
| Veolia Water Wakefield Rhode Island INCSouth Kingstown | 24 | 32 | 5,242 | 0.7% |
| City of East ProvidenceEast Providence | 29 | 18 | 6,930 | 0.3% |
| Jamestown Water DepartmentJamestown | 0 | 26 | 929 | 1.6% |
| Clear River Electric and Water DistrictBurrillville | 2 | 18 | 452 | 1.9% |
| Eleanor Slater Hospital Zambarano UnitBurrillville | 20 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Town of CumberlandCumberland | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0.2% |
| Kingston Water DistrictSouth Kingstown | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0.7% |
| University of Rhode IslandSouth Kingstown | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.6% |
| Slatersville Public SupplyNorth Smithfield | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.2% |
No confirmed lead, but unknown lines remain (3)
| Water system | Lead | Galv. | Unknown | % lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent County Water AuthorityCoventry | 0 | 0 | 2,376 | 0% |
| Portsmouth Water & Fire DistrictPortsmouth | 0 | 0 | 573 | 0% |
| Providence-City of - WhippleSmithfield | 0 | 0 | 127 | 0% |
No lead or unknown lines reported (17)
Systems serving 1,000 or more people. Systems without counts on file are listed as 0.
| Water system | Lead | Galv. | Unknown | % lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town of North KingstownNorth Kingstown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Block Island Water CompanyNew Shoreham | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Cne - New London Turnpike Entry PointCoventry | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Greenville Water DistrictSmithfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Smithfield Water Supply BoardSmithfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| North Tiverton Fire DistrictTiverton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Narragansett Water System-Point JudithNarragansett | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Naval Station, NewportNewport | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| South Kingstown-South ShoreSouth Kingstown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Narragansett Water Dept-North EndNarragansett | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Tiverton Water Authority, Town HallTiverton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Stone Bridge Fire DistrictTiverton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Dowling VillageNorth Smithfield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Town of RichmondRichmond | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Warwick-PotowomutWarwick | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Prudence Island Water DistrictPortsmouth | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Scituate High School & Middle SchoolScituate | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Lead pipes in Rhode Island cities
- Providence25,785 lead + galv. lines
- Cranston25,785 lead + galv. lines
- Warwick58 lead + galv. lines
- Pawtucket714 lead + galv. lines
- Newport2,889 lead + galv. lines
- Central Falls714 lead + galv. lines
Rhode Island lead pipe questions
How many lead pipes are in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island's community water systems reported 29,755 lead service lines and 1,731 galvanized lines that must be replaced, for 31,486 in total. Another 54,075 lines are of unknown material.
Which Rhode Island water systems have the most lead pipes?
City of Providence (25,785), City of Newport (2,889), Westerly Water Department (1,400). Counts are lead plus galvanized-requiring-replacement lines.
What share of Rhode Island service lines are lead?
11% of reported service lines in Rhode Island are lead or galvanized requiring replacement, well above the national figure of 3.1%. 18% are still unknown, compared with 21% nationally.
How do I find out if my Rhode Island home has a lead service line?
Search for your water system or ZIP code above, then open your utility's address-level inventory map. You can also check the pipe where it enters your home with a scratch and magnet test.
Source: EPA SDWIS service line inventory, 2026 Q3. Smaller systems with no lead or unknown lines are omitted. See also national rankings.