Lead 'undetectable' in Richmond Hill’s drinking water

The most recent test results found the city’s drinking water is within safe lead limits.

Yorkregion.com
Nov. 12, 2019
Sheila Wang

The City of Richmond Hill reassures the residents that their tap water is safe to drink as a Canada-wide investigation about lead-tainted water pipes puts drinking water safety in the national spotlight.

The quality of the tap water in the city is “better than the requirements” set by Ontario and Health Canada, spokesperson Libbi Hood wrote in an email response Nov. 7.

The most recent test results found the city’s drinking water within safe lead limits, marked as “undetectable levels,” according to the 2018 water-quality report.

The report, based on 40 samples across the city, showed the lead levels between 0.5 to 3.8 parts per billion (ppb), much lower than the national guidelines of 5 ppb.

The Liberal also looked through the previous annual water-quality reports -- required by the province -- and lead levels have been well below the federal threshold dating back to 2014, the earliest available online.

“Richmond Hill has been proactive when it comes to replacing lead materials through capital or maintenance programs,” Hood said, noting there are no lead water mains in the city.

When a lead-contaminated service line is discovered, the city is responsible for replacing the portion on the city’s right of way and works with the homeowner to procure a contractor for a cost-effective replacement of the homeowner’s portion of the line, she noted.

“It is the homeowners' responsibility to handle the replacement in these cases, but they are not legally required to do so,” the spokesperson added.

The city replaced one lead-contaminated service line last year and zero so far this year.

Mayor Dave Barrow said on Nov. 6, in a phone interview, that lead pipes haven't been a big concern in the city, to his knowledge.

However, the city did receive more calls than usual about lead pipelines following the recent media coverage that reveals hundreds of thousands of Canadians are consuming tap water laced with high levels of lead due to aging infrastructure.

The spokesperson said approximately six residents called about lead levels the week the investigative series was published.

Generally, Richmond Hill receives two or fewer calls per year about lead levels in water, she added.

More than 120 journalists from nine universities and 10 media organizations, including the Toronto Star and the Institute for Investigative Journalism, conducted a year-long investigation, collecting test results that measure exposure to lead in 11 Canadian cities.

Out of 12,000 tests conducted since 2014, 33 per cent exceeded the national safety guideline of 5 ppb.

Reporters also spread out over 32 cities and towns from coast to coast and tested the water of willing residents living in older homes. Using the accepted standards and submitting samples to accredited labs, it was found that 39 per cent of the samples exceeded the current federal guideline.