Classification of Chloride-to-Sulfate Mass Ratio for U.S. Groundwater With Respect to the Potential to Promote Galvanic Corrosion of Lead, 1991-2015; Water Well Data and Characteristic Values for States

Galvanic corrosion of lead in water distribution systems can occur when lead pipe or lead solder is in contact with a dissimilar metal such as copper. If the source water entering those systems has a relatively elevated chloride-to-sulfate mass ratio (CSMR), the potential for galvanic corrosion to occur is elevated (Gregory 1985; Edwards and Triantafyllidou, 2007), especially in water with low values of alkalinity (Nguyen and others, 2011). Values of CSMR were computed for untreated groundwater samples from 26,631 locations in the United States. Three levels, identified by Nguyen and others (2011), were used to classify CSMR values relative to their potential for promoting galvanic corrosion of lead. The three-level classification, [...]