The City of Guelph wants you to get the lead out. Out of your water, of course.
Small lawns signs have begun cropping up in the older, core area of the city, letting residents in those neighbours know about a new push to test water for lead and replace old lead pipes. The sign asks, “Is there lead in your tap water?” There’s a city hall number to call to get your water checked.
Water professionals in the city conduct about 28,000 tests on water samples each year to ensure quality standards are met, according to the Guelph Water Services webpage.
The city’s underground watermain delivers water to homes via smaller underground pipes, or water service lines, that are connected to each home. Some of those service lines are old and made of lead, and they need to be replaced.
The city routinely conducts verification visits, according to the website, whereby licensed operators visually inspect the service lines, and take water samples from the home’s taps. All of this is done to determine if any part of the service line - especially the unseen portions – may be made of lead.
The inspectors and tests are free, and involve only a few minutes of your time. If lead is discovered, the city will incur the cost of replacing the portion of the pipe owned by the municipality, from the watermain to the property-line. The homeowner is responsible for replacing the portion of the lead water service line on their own property.
The City of Guelph offers grants of up to $1700 to assist homeowners to replace the service line on private property.
A city map, here http://guelph.ca/living/environment/water/drinking-water/drinking-water-and-lead/, shows the area of the city that may still have lead pipes.
Inspections and tests have to be booked with the city. Call Guelph Water Services at 519-822-1260, extension 2263, or by email at [email protected].
Public health agencies warn of the potential negative health impacts of lead, which can leach into drinking water via lead pipes or solder. Lead can affect how the brain and nervous system grow, and is particularly hazardous for pregnant women, children under the age of 6, and infants drinking formula made from tap water.
