Get the Lead Out

Water testing reflects possible issues with older plumbing

Lions Bay is now making lead testing available to Village residents, at a price.

The February 6 Village Update contained an information piece from Public Works (PW) noting that Vancouver Coastal Health requires the municipality to regularly remind residents of lead in drinking water. While the water supplied by the municipality is confirmed to contain no lead, inside the property line there are no further guarantees.

According to Health Canada, exposure to lead can be blamed for adverse neuro-behavioural and cognitive changes in children and at high levels can affect the body's capacity to produce red blood cells.

Canadian properties with copper plumbing installed before 1989 will likely contain lead solder, which can leach into water as it sits in inside plumbing, sometimes as quickly as overnight. The PW information notes biannual testing inside municipal buildings as evidence, when initial samples are often rated 'high' to 'very high' in lead content. 

More detail about Village water can be found in the 2024 Annual Report on Drinking Water Quality.

The quickest solution to the problem is flushing the pipes for three to five minutes before use each morning, an action that has been part of the daily routine at Lions Bay School for the past 30 years. These days, the student water fountains have a water bottle filling station and a filter, but according to vice-principal Jennifer Ohlhauser, staff still run the water taps in the office and kitchen every morning for five minutes. 

For residents interested in testing the quantity of lead in the water in their own homes, the Village has made testing kits available. Residents can drop by the Village Office to collect sample bottles and a 'Chain of Custody' form to aid in the testing at home.

Full instructions are available at the Village Office, or can be obtained from ALS Environmental testing lab in Burnaby. You will need two bottles for each tap you plan to test.

"Two samples per tap is recommended, one for the 'first draw' and a second for the 'flush' sample," says Village Public Works Director Eric Villeneuve. He adds that comparing the two samples will give residents an indication if lead has been detected in their home from the domestic plumbing, and also whether flushing the tap for a few minutes reduces lead in the water.

Faucets best targeted for testing are those that are used for cooking or drinking, such as kitchen and bathroom sinks. To detect any transmission of lead through the plumbing, run the tap for two to five seconds, and then fill and cap an unrinsed sample bottle. Keep the tap running for another three to five minutes, long enough to be certain that water from the street main has made it all the way to the tap, and then fill and cap the second sample bottle.

The cost of testing each sample bottle is $38, so a total of $76 for each tap tested. Payment is accepted via Visa or Mastercard only.

Villeneuve says that samples must be returned to the lab by residents themselves, and he recommends that a few neighbours band together to do so, as the lab charges a minimum of $250 (or seven separate tests) for each work order. Bottles must each be labelled with a unique sample ID number, which must also be recorded on the accompanying chain of custody form, and marked with 'Lions Bay Residential Lead in Water Sampling program'. Bottles do not require refrigeration, but should be tested within 14 days.

ALS Environmental is located at 8081 Lougheed Highway, Burnaby, and bottles can be picked up or dropped off at the supplies pickup door at the rear of the building from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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