Initial round of lead testing finished

FORT FRANCES—As dictated by provincial legislation, the town’s first round of semi-annual lead testing was completed prior to the April 15 deadline.
But while nearly all the tests came back fine, due to one non-residential test result which exceeded half the standard prescribed for lead, the town will be required to sample for three more consecutive periods prior to possibly reducing the testing frequency, Operations and Facilities manager Doug Brown told council in a report Monday night.
Under Ontario Regulation 170/03, the town had to test water for lead at 40 private residences and four non-residential properties, as well as take eight samples from the distribution system.
Between Jan. 15 and Feb. 11, town staff conducted testing at locations throughout Fort Frances, during which time one residential, one non-residential, and two distribution samples tested as “adverse.”
Re-sampling at these locations turned up compliant samples, with the exception of the non-residential property—the results for which were slightly less than the first time but still higher than half the prescribed standard.
The cost to the town for the first round of sampling was about $13,000.
Since this first period of sampling took place during the winter, the costs of collecting samples was higher than it would be in the summer since the town crew would not have to deal with clearing ice and snow from catch basins to allow for hydrant flushing operations.
The lead testing will continue with a second round conducted between June 15-Oct. 15, followed by a third and fourth conducted in 2009.
The amount of testing could be reduced in the future if one of the following requirements is met:
•in each of two consecutive periods, not more than 10 percent of all the samples taken from the plumbing and tested for lead exceeded half the standard prescribed for lead (more than 10 micrograms per litre) and no sample tested lead exceeds the standard; or
•in each of the four consecutive periods, not more than 10 percent of all the samples taken from the plumbing and tested for lead exceeded the standard prescribed for lead.
If sampling is reduced in the future, that would mean only 20 residential, two non-residential, and three distribution system samples would have to be taken.
This would be a cost-savings to the town.
Testing for lead is mandatory under provincial regulations, and all Ontario municipalities must undertake it.
(Fort Frances Times)