City runs out of water safety tests after issuing lead warning

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This article was published 14/08/2019 (1716 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After 23,000 Winnipeg homeowners were warned their homes could have lead pipes, 311 was deluged with people asking for their free water safety test — but the 200 tests available had been snapped up almost immediately.

Glenelm resident Emma Durand-Wood got a letter from the city on Wednesday, warning that her home could have lead pipes. She was offered a free test to be sure.

“Within minutes of opening up the letter, we had emailed 311 to say yes please,” Durand-Wood said.

Two hours later, the Durand-Woods got a response saying the program was full.

The letters were mailed early this week, and all 200 spots were taken by Tuesday. Now, 300 homeowners are on the waiting list, a city spokesperson said.

“We’re actually very surprised that we reached the first 200 so quickly,” said the city’s manager of environmental standards Renee Grosselle.

She said the public awareness campaign was launched in response to federal rule changes: in March, acceptable lead levels were cut in half to 0.005 mg/litre.

Free lead testing has been available since the late 1990s, she said, and until now it was a challenge to sign up people.

“I understand people are frustrated there’s maybe not enough tests,” Grosselle said. “Although the response has been overwhelming, we’re going to do our best to get everyone tested.”

Lead pipes were acceptable under national plumbing standards until 1975, but the city website says homes built before the mid-1950s are more likely to have lead pipes.

In 2011, the cost to replace all the city’s lead pipes was pegged at $60 million.

This week’s awareness campaign included letters, a news release and a video, which was posted to social media on Monday.

“I think the message came out quite well, maybe that’s why people were more aware of it,” Grosselle said.

Grosselle emphasized that the guidelines changed, not the water quality.

“The water remains the same, the water remains safe,” she said.

West End resident Leanna Gurniak said the letters prompted fear and panic from homeowners.

“Nowhere in the letter does it say we’re only wanting to get samples from a small number of people,” said Gurniak, who’s on the waiting list.

She said running taps to flush out lead seems like a waste of water, especially in a province where some First Nations communities are under boil-water advisories, she said.

Both she and Durand-Wood have updated pipes inside their homes, but are concerned about the city’s portion connecting to their plumbing.

“The city is just offering these temporary solutions when realistically they should be working with the homeowners to actually get rid of it,” Gurniak said.

Lead pipes are replaced when the city does water main repairs, Grosselle said.

In June 2000, the city began adding orthophosphate to the water supply to reduce lead levels. The chemical forms a protective coating in pipes which helps reduce corrosion that can add lead to the water supply.

Grosselle said the orthophosphate program has been reviewed and isn’t considered a concern for phosphate loading into Lake Winnipeg or drinking water.

Paid water testing is available at a few locations in Winnipeg, including Culligan’s. It offers free testing for some common contaminants but it’s $40 for a homeowner’s choice of four tests, which could include lead, bacteria, arsenic or flouride, among others.

“People just want to know what’s in their water,” said Culligan’s sales supervisor Kristin Ritchot. “They just don’t always know what to ask for.”

tvanderhart@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @tessavanderhart

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