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It’s unclear how many lead pipes carry drinking water in Greater Sudbury

The City of Greater Sudbury is working on an inventory of lead pipes, but the city’s ‘mishmash’ of infrastructure doesn’t carry reliable records and private-side lead doesn’t show up on title searches
lead pipe
An underground lead pipe is seen dug up in this file photo. (File)

In an effort to remove financial barriers that prevent some people from getting lead water pipes replaced, the City of Greater Sudbury is poised to look at opportunities to help get the lead out.

Earlier this week, the city’s operations committee resolved to request a business case from city staff for the creation of a subsidy and loan program to replace private-side lead pipes. Their unanimous approval means it’s likely city council will ratify the decision at an upcoming meeting and a business case will be drafted for future consideration.

The proposed program would include a grant of up to $3,000, an interest-free loan of up to $10,000 to be paid back over 10 years and provisions for water filters for homes built in 1960 and prior with confirmed lead water service.

In the course of the committee’s discussion with water and wastewater task force project lead Cheryl Beam it was revealed that municipal staff doesn’t have a clear understanding of how many lead pipes are carrying drinking water to Sudburians. 

This, Beam said, is a concern because “the threshold where there is no risk to lead exposure cannot be identified, meaning there is no safe level for lead.”

Lead exposure, she explained, can result in reduced cognition, increased blood pressure, renal dysfunction in adults and neurodevelopmental and behavioural effects in children. 

That said, she clarified that city-side water tests routinely measure lead levels “well below” Health Canada’s threshold of five parts per billion and that between zero and five lead pipes are found per year. 

When lead pipes are discovered during repairs or capital work, they’re replaced as soon as possible on the city side. When city staff finds lead pipes on the private side, either underground or during water readings, the property owner is informed. 

However, Beam clarified, “few owners change their side of the service.”

As the city’s voluntary lead testing program has revealed in the past, some households measure lead levels greater than the Health Canada threshold due to private-side lead pipes. 

“It’s old infrastructure, private infrastructure that’s putting people at risk,” she said, adding that this is why it’s so important that financial barriers be removed through a grant and loan program, such as which has been proposed and which various other municipalities employ versions of. 

For those curious as to whether their residence’s drinking water is fed through lead pipes, there are ways of figuring it out, but it’s not cut and dried.

With various municipalities over a wide region amalgamating to form Greater Sudbury, all of which maintaining varying degrees of historic infrastructure reporting, Beam said there’s “really a mishmash” of information regarding the material used to carry drinking water. 

Given how few lead pipes are found in Greater Sudbury, she suspects there was a similar situation locally as there was in Sault Ste. Marie, where copper was always the preferred material and that they only resorted to lead during wartime, when rationing cut into the supply of copper. 

When a homeowner finds that they have lead pipes, this information doesn’t transfer onto a title search, “so there’s no mechanism for buyers to know if they have a lead service or not.”

This news surprised Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh, who said it’s worth looking into because lead is a health hazard that should be declared. 

After this week’s meeting, Sudbury.com reached out to Beam for clarity on how people can find out whether lead is of concern in their household. 

Dialing 311 could be a good starting point, she said, adding that what limited information they’ve gathered thus far will be available through the municipality’s helpline. 

However, she clarified that the city isn’t necessarily notified when a homeowner replaces their lead pipes, so the information they have on file might not be up to date. 

People can also visually check a pipe by scratching its surface. If it’s lead, a shiny silver metal mark will be left. Also, magnets don’t stick to lead. 

As with dialing 311, she said this method doesn’t clarify that you do not have lead pipes, since there could also be pipes underground leading to the water main that are made of lead. 

Water fixtures that aren’t certified by the National Sanitation Foundation can also include lead.

Getting your water tested is the best way to determine if there’s lead in your drinking water, and Beam said a City of Greater Sudbury voluntary lead testing program will be accepting intakes this winter. 

In the meantime, Beam said people can connect with a private lab, such as what she did at her own house in order to test the quality of her well water.

“I got a full metal analysis on my well because I knew I wanted to know what I was exposing my kids to,” she said, adding that it was a simple process that cost approximately $60.

In addition to replacing lead pipes, Beam said people can also purchase readily available water filters to take lead out of the water they consume. 

Lead pipes are found in many older homes throughout the country, with the National Plumbing Code of Canada considering the material acceptable in pipes until 1975 and acceptable in solder until 1990. 

“I think the message that's really important for everybody to understand is that we've got really great, safe drinking water,” Beam said. “It's just sometimes we had older standards historically, and sometimes it's worth having a look at what you own and make sure that you're adequately protected.”

 

Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.


 

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Tyler Clarke

About the Author: Tyler Clarke

Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
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