There are many older homes in Stittsville and if your home was built before 1955 and you have lead pipes that connect to non-lead City pipes, you are eligible for a rebate to have these pipes replaced.
The Standing Committee on Environmental Protection, Water and Waste Management has approved a new rebate of up to $1,000 or about 20 per cent of the total replacement cost. The City will continue to offer loans for properties where both the private and City portions of the water pipes are made of lead.
Homeowners with confirmed lead levels that exceed Health Canada’s recently updated guideline, or who are awaiting pipe replacement under the program, could get a year’s worth of free water filters to remove lead from their tap water. Call 3-1-1 to make an appointment to have the lead levels tested in your water.
The City delivers safe, high-quality drinking water. Although Ottawa’s drinking water supply is lead-free, small amounts of lead can dissolve as water flows through lead pipes, household plumbing and taps. A trace amount of phosphate will be added during treatment to improve corrosion control for watermains and household plumbing, minimizing exposure to lead in tap water caused by lead pipes. This is in response to Health Canada’s new guidelines for lead in drinking water.
Ontario is expected to introduce a new lead standard and the City is implementing the new treatment proactively.