LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - The entire state of Oklahoma is cracking down on ridding lead pipes from our water systems following federal changes made within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"It's pretty standard that everything is the goal of zero lead," stated Shellie Chard, the Water Quality Division Director for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ). "There is no lead level that is safe."

This issue has gained a lot of attention over the past few years, with it becoming a priority for the department.

"The situation that really shown a bright light, was Flint, Michigan several years ago," Chard said. "There were a lot of things that came together and we saw higher levels of lead in drinking water."

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 2014, Flint, Michigan changed their municipal drinking water source. That change caused some of their pipes to corrode and spread lead through the water system.

The community was advised to not drink from the tap, unless properly filtered, and led to a state of emergency being declared a few years later. As a result, over 50% of households said the crisis led to an increase in behavioral health issues and worsened physical health.

"From a drinking water perspective, it is worth it to me to encourage everyone to replace their premise plumbing if there's any chance that it has lead in it." Chard stated. "It is absolutely worth it to me to talk with community water systems, making sure that they do what they need to to find and replace lines."

Lead mainly has effects on developmental growth in children and can potentially damage nervous systems. This lead exposure disproportionately harms low-income communities and communities of color.

Recently, City of Lawton employees have been working to identify lead pipes throughout the City's system.

"We have passed lead and copper testing for 30 years," said Carl Gray, the Water Treatment Plant Superintendent. "We've been good, we've never had a violation. This is an extra measure to ensure that the customers, our residents, are getting the best possible quality water they can."

At this time, officials have identified just under 6,000 water lines, so far with zero lead detected. There are still just over 26,000 lines that need to be examined.

The City of Lawton is also testing for galvanized pipes. Though galvanized pipes themselves are not dangerous, they are porous, meaning they can carry the effects if connected to lead.

One of the EPA changes, lowers the threshold in detecting lead pipes. Chard said this will most likely lead to more municipalities being out of compliance for a short period of time, but it's all for the benefit of the individual.

Chard mentioned a gap in these new regulations, which is that homeowners, or privately owned buildings, aren't required to replace any identified pipes. However, officials still recommend action be taken.

"That's an area where we still see lead components. In that faucet. It can't be manufactured like that today, but most of us, we don't think about how often we should change our kitchen sink, kitchen faucet, bathroom faucet," Chard said. "Anyone who has not updated those fixtures in the last 20-30 years definitely consider doing that."

Gray describes the distinction as anything from the meter to the home is under the individual owner and everything on the other side of the meter is under the responsibility of the city. However, Gray added there could be an adjustment in the future.

"Just like if you have tall weeds and grass or trash or something, it's going to actually be a notice of abatement. It's a hazard," Gray stated. "So, at some point they'll have to work on some ordinance or some way to deal with that for the public health."

If you're unsure whether or not you have lead pipes in your system, you can reach out to your water provider or the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and request a test.

Houses built before 1991 which have a higher chance of components in their system.

Furthermore, if a resident does replace a lead line in their system, the City of Lawton is required to replace their side within 45 days.