DRINKING WATER WARNING: Water sampling shows elevated lead levels in some homes and/or buildings.
This notice is being sent to water customers by Big Field Water Association. State Public Water System (PWS) ID# MS0600002.
Lead Action Level Exceedance
Big Field Water Association has found elevated levels of lead in drinking water in some homes/buildings. Big Field Water Association may also have tested your home or building. If they did, you should receive or may have already received these results. These results are specific to your home/building and may be different from the results taken in other locations. Lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Please read this information closely to see what you can do to reduce lead in your drinking water.
What is an Action Level?
The lead action level is a measure of the effectiveness of corrosion control treatment in water systems. The action level is not a standard for establishing a safe level of lead in a home. To check whether corrosion control is working, the EPA requires water systems to test for lead at the tap in certain homes, including those with lead service lines. Water systems compare sample results from homes to the EPA's action level of 0.015 mg/L (15 ppb). If 10 percent of the samples from these homes have water concentrations that are greater than the action level, then the system must perform actions such as public education, adjusting treatment, and lead service line replacement.What Happened?
In 2026, Big Field distributed lead and copper sampling kits to homeowners, with samples collected on September 15, 2026, and analyzed by Pace Analytical; out of 5 samples, one (1) had a lead level above the EPA action level of 0.015 mg/L (15 ppb), meaning we are required under the EPA's Lead and Copper Rule to take further action, including notifying all customers and improving corrosion control. Because there is no safe level of lead in drinking water we encourage residents to use certified filters, to flush taps before use, and avoid using hot water for drinking or cooking.
Big Field Water Association is focused on protecting the health of every household in our community; however, lead from service lines and lead plumbing and fixtures can dissolve or break off into water and end up at the faucet. Big Field Water Association HAS NO LEAD SERVICE LINES. We found that one (1) of our sampled homes had results over the maximum contaminant level of lead or copper. This does not mean that every property that receives drinking water from Big Field Water Association has lead in the drinking water. It does mean that you should understand how to reduce your exposure to lead through water. Keep in mind that drinking water is not the only potential source of lead exposure since lead can be found in air, soil and paint. For more information on all sources of lead, visit www.epa.gov/lead.
Health Effects of Lead
Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups. Infants and children can have decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposure can lead to new learning and behavior problems or exacerbate existing learning and behavior problems. The children of women who are exposed to lead before or during pregnancy can have increased risk of these adverse health effects. Adults can have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney, or nervous system problems.
Steps You Can Take to Reduce Your Exposure to Lead in Your Water
Below are recommended actions that you may take, separately or in combination, if you are concerned about lead in your drinking water. The list also includes where you may find more information and is not intended to be a complete list or to imply that all actions equally reduce lead from drinking water.
- Use your filter properly. Using a filter can reduce lead in drinking water. If you use a filter, it should be certified to remove lead. Read any directions provided with the filter to learn how to properly install, maintain and use your cartridge and when to replace it. Using the cartridge after it has expired can make it less effective at removing lead. Do not run hot water through the filter. For more information on facts and advice on home water filtration systems, visit the EPA's website at www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/home-drinking-water-filtration-fact-sheet and the EPA's Consumer Tool for Identifying Drinking Water Filters Certified to Reduce Lead.
- Clean your aerator. Regularly remove and clean your faucet's screen (also known as an aerator). Sediment, debris, and lead particles can collect in your aerator. If lead particles are caught in the aerator, lead can get into your water.
- Use cold water. Do not use hot water from the tap for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula as lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Boiling water does not remove lead from water.
- Run your water. The more time water has been sitting in your home's pipes, the more lead it may contain. Before drinking, flush your home pipes by running the tap, taking a shower, doing laundry, or doing a load of dishes. The amount of time to run the water will depend on whether your home has a lead service line or not, as well as the length and diameter of the service line and the amount of plumbing in your home. Residents may contact us at Big Field Water Association at 662-326-3322 or jwiley@tectax.net for recommendations about flushing times in their community.
- Learn what your service line material is. Contact us at 662-326-3322 or jwiley@tectax.net or a licensed plumber to determine if the pipe that connects your home to the water main (called a service line) is made from lead, galvanized, or other materials.
- Learn about construction in your neighborhood. Contact us at 662-326-3322 orjwiley@tectax.net to find out about any construction or maintenance work that could disturb your service line. Construction may cause more lead to be released from a lead service line if present.
- Have your water tested. Contact us at 662-326-3322 or jwiley@tectax.net to have your water tested and to learn more about the lead levels in your drinking water.
Get Your Child Tested to Determine Lead Levels in His or Her Blood
A family doctor or pediatrician can perform a blood test for lead and provide information about the health effects of lead. State, city or county departments of health can also provide information about how you can have your child's blood tested for lead. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that public health actions be initiated when the level of lead in a child's blood is 3.5 micrograms per deciliter (μg/dL) or more. For more information and links to the CDC's website, please visit www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water.
What is Being Done?
Big Field Water Association will be providing Corrosion Control Recommendations to the state in response to this ALE (Action Level Exceedance), to prevent future lead and copper exceedances.
The actions that we are taking are following Federal and/or State lead and copper regulations.
In addition to the information mentioned above that we will provide to residents at locations we sampled, we will also be distributing additional public education to all our customers. Public Education is to be provided no later than 60 days after the end of the monitoring period.
We are working to determine which corrosion control treatment strategy would be most effective in addressing this situation.
Big Field Water Association will begin monitoring lead and copper twice per year, once every 6 months beginning in 2027. For more information, please contact Big Field Water Association at 662-326-3322 or jwiley@tectax.net or P.O. Box 309, Marks, MS 38646. General guidelines on ways to lessen the risk from lead in drinking water are available from the EPA's website at www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water.
Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools and businesses).
