As Alberta Environment and Parks assesses the entire provincial water system, lead compliance testing will be conducted in Airdrie.
“Water Services has been performing annual total-lead testing for several years, and…to date, no lead service lines have been found within the City of Airdrie,” said Jennifer Sugden, Water Services program co-ordinator, in a presentation to council Feb. 18.
The results have ranged from zero to 0.0009 milligrams per litre (mg/L), she said – well below the updated limit of 0.005 mg/L permitted for drinking water, according to Health Canada guidelines, reduced from 0.01 mg/L in March 2019.
According to Sugden, the province indicated the lead compliance testing is a one-time program that will see Airdrie collect 80 samples between May 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021. The number of requested samples is based on the municipality's population, she said.
“Staff have been able to narrow down sections of the oldest infrastructure in Airdrie – pre-1975,” Sugden said, noting 75 per cent of the required samples will be collected from these sections with the remaining 25 per cent coming from communities furthest in the distribution system.
“In order to accommodate regular maintenance duties, staff have chosen to split the samples up into two groups – 40 samples taken in 2020 and 40 samples taken in 2021.”
The process will involve taking a sample from the customer’s kitchen tap, she said, with no flushing or stagnation time. Each day, the samples collected will be sent in for analysis and, once Water Services has received the results, they will be shared with the resident.
“This sampling method is used to capture the typical lead exposure – if present – within the building pipes,” Sugden said. “If any results are over the acceptable levels, further investigation will be required.”
This process would involve contacting the resident and collecting an additional sample using a 30-minute stagnation period, she noted – which helps to determine whether the problem originates from a City-owned facility or the private residence. The customer will be informed of ways to keep their water safe as the investigation continues.
“It is recommended that if a sample comes back over the limit, point-of-use filters be used,” she said, adding these filters must specifically state they are used for removing lead from water. “These come in a variety of formats – tap mounted, jug filter, under the counter – and are priced comparable to regular water filters.”
Water Services will be working with the City’s communications department to find volunteers within the communities targeted for the testing. Sugden said if the required number of addresses is not met each year, staff will attempt to contact residents in these areas to enlist their participation.
“I’m happy to see this going through – not that I have a concern for the community, but it’s always nice to have that data on hand if there are any questions or when those news stories do come out,” Coun. Tina Petrow said. “I really hope people are happy to have their water tested.”
