pion | Thursday, November 14, 2019 | 10 £ £ Cha c hs © s © c = w 2 MONITORING FOR LEAD DONE DURING ALL WATERMAIN PROJECTS Continued from page 1 cent compliant with provincial regulations for lead. "The reports in the. media indi- cate that the presence of lead in water is largely a resulf of public infrastructure. This is not the case in Halton Region," says the state- © ment. "Halton's drinking water is safe to drink and the potential for lead in our drinking water system is extremely low in our communi- ty." The Region, which is responsi- ble for water purification through- out the four local municipalities, has replaced all pipes in the public system that were manufactured - with lead and old cast-iron water- com mains. "Since the cast-iron watermain replacement program was com- pleted, lead services have been ob- served three times within the pub- lic right-of-way and those services were removed," Halton staff wrote. "As part of our continuous monitoring, we investigate the neighbourhood for the presence of lead as part of any watermain pro- A Toronto Pearson OPEN THE ISSUE. LEAD IN DRINKING WATER LOCAL IMPACT. WHILE OLDER HOMES AND SCHOOLS MAY BE AT RISK OF HAVING LEAD FROM AGED PLUMBING FIXTURES IN THEIR WATER, HALTON SAYS THE WATER IT PROVIDES RESIDENTS IS SAFE TO DRINK. ject or at the time of a watermain break. If lead is observed, Halton Region takes immediate correc- tive action and replaces the ser- vice line or connection." With lead being a commonly used building material decades ago, Region officials cautioned that there may be lead in the water from pipe fittings and connections in older homes built before 1975. Oakville Mayor Rob Burton is- sued a statement in response to the Star investigation that says he will bring a motion forth at the next regional council meeting-that encourages residents to replace any lead water pipes in their homes with safe alternatives. "I will also be writing to the provincial Minister of Education about water safety standards in our schools," said Burton. In March, Health Canada cut the federal lead guideline in half -- to 5 parts per billion (ppb) from 10 ppb -- to reflect the neurotox- in's health risks. Ontario has for now Kept its benchmark at 10 ppb while it reviews Ottawa's new guideline. According to the Region, the Halton Regional Laboratory has tested 3,604 Halton water samples for lead -- both public and private -- since 2007, and the results showed a 99.3 per cent compliance rating. But in Halton's aging school system, the Star investigation re- vealed that the Halton District School Board had 304 exceedances in the past two years -- one of the highest totals among school boards in the province. Lead fixtures, including taps . "HOUSE Mi Day in.and day out, Toronto Pearson International Airport is making the connections that matter. From the 50,000 people who help an average of 130,000 people a day get where they need to go, to driving employment in the region and better connecting residents and visitors through enhanced transit options, we take our role as Canada's front door seriously. On November 19, join us to learn how we make it all happen. Drop by and spend some time at the Milton Pearson Open House. Learn about how the airport works, meet members of the Pearson team, and discover how we're planning today to continue connecting you to opportunity tomorrow. Can't make it? We're holding more open houses across the region this spring. To learn more and let us know if you plan to drop by, please visit TorontoPearson.com/openhouses, WHEN: Tuesday, November 19, 2019, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. WHERE: Milton Seniors' Activity Centre 500 Childs Dr, Milton ON (97 5G2 and water fountains, were histor- ically used in sghool plumbing and many remain in place today as the main culprits of elevated lead levels in drinking water. "We regularly test our drinking water fixtures, and if exceedances are detected, we implement appro- priate measures based on the di- rection and guidance from the Halton Region Health Depart- ment," said Steve Allum, manager of environmental programs with the district school board. In addition to flushing the lines and installing filters, the board re- moves lead-laced fixtures, he said in a written statement. "In those instances, labour and materials are usually around a few hundred dollars. If fixture re- placement is necessary, the full cost can range into the thou- sands." But school board officials say. the province has not been dealing with the added costs of removing lead. ; "There hasn't really been much discussion from the Minis- try of Education to us about how to respond to this," said Maia Puccet- | responding to the national expose. ti, superintendent of facility ser- vices for the Halton District School Board. The Ministry of Education said that while it allocates funding to school boards, those boards are re- sponsible for deciding how the funds are spent, "as they are in the best position to determine their renewal priorities and local needs." Halton is working to educate " homeowners on how to check their plumbing and also offers res- idents water testing for lead levels, which can be secured by calling 311 or emailing accesshalton@hal- ton.ca. For more information visit hal- ton.ca or hdsb.ca. -with files from Robert Cribb STORY BEHIND THE STORY Following a lengthy investigation by the Toronto Star about lead in Canada's drinking water, we looked closer at how safe the water is in Halton, and how local authorities and politicians are @TorontoPearson [Wf [(©) For more information, please email community.engagement@gtaa.com or call 416-776-5739