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By Chris Brown

New national lead level standards

City to begin water sampling program

Feb 22, 2021 | 11:43 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The City of Medicine Hat will be testing the concentration of lead in drinking water but says there is no reason to be alarmed.

The testing is being done under a provincially-mandated water sampling program in response to a Health Canada decision in 2019. Back then, the federal department reduced the maximum acceptable concentration from lead in drinking water from 0.010 milligrams per litre to 0.005 milligrams per litre, or five parts per billion.

The city says there are no lead pipes within the city-owned distribution infrastructure but does regularly test for lead. Results over the past 10 years show the average lead concentration in the city’s system is 0.00063 milligrams per litre.

“The risk of an elevated lead level is very, very, very low. I can’t emphasized that enough,” says Brian Graham, field operations manager, Environmental Utilities. “We have carried out testing at point of use before and we’ve had results come back lower than the actual standards the older standard and the new standard already.”

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Pat Bohan, general manager of Environmental Utilities, adds, “it is important for residents to know that this testing is not in response to any perceived risk in Medicine Hat. It is simply a province-wide program for all waterworks in Alberta to ensure compliance with the new regulations.”

Out of 24,000 water customers in the city, only 63 are known to have lead services from the main to the home. They are mainly concentrated in the older neighbourhoods such as the Southeast Hill, Riverside and the Flats.

Staff have begun contacting those property owners to set up initial appointments and collection of samples will begin in May.

The regulations require samples to be be taken from a tap inside the property.

Graham says the appointments will be set for 8 a.m. and staff will adhere to COVID-19 safety measures.

“All we have to do is go inside the house find a tap, cold water tap, and basically fill up a one litre container and that’s finished, the sampling is done.”

He says that ideally taps haven’t been turned on or a toilet flushed overnight for a better capture of a water sample. But if that has happened they will take the sample anyway.

The province says the city must provide 80 water samples by the end of September. Beyond those with known lead services will get a cross-section of samples from across the city.

Graham says it’s easy for people to check if they have a lead pipe coming into their house, saying to first find where it comes in through a hole in the basement.

“If it’s a dark dull grey colour and they scrape it and it goes shiny, chance are it will be lead. But if you see it coming through the floor and it’s white PVC or blue PVC or copper then it’s obviously not lead.

He adds if there is a lead service coming into the house lead testing kits are available in stores if any one wants peace of mind right away.

Lead was a common construction material in the 1940s and ‘50s when copper was rare.

More information on the project including a list of frequently asked questions can be found on the city’s website.