Pilot project to detect and replace lead pipes (City of Montreal)
Type of initiative
FCM Green Municipal Fund - Plans, Studies, Pilots
Sector
Water
Project value$554,384
Project Type
Pilot Project
Sub Sector
Drinking Water Quality
Grant amount$273,692
Program type
GMF
Municipality
Ville de Montréal, QC
Status
Fully Disbursed
Population
1,762,949
Project timeline
2010 - 2012
Project number
10375
Description
The City of Montreal wishes to undertake field testing to find and replace lead service lines on the public domain in order to reduce the amount of lead in tap water beneath the concentration allowed in the standard and to deal with health problems attributed to tap water with a high concentration of lead.
The field test is divided in three phases. First the City will develop a sampling protocol to measure the concentration of lead in tap water in 700 homes and thus determine the presence or absence of lead service lines. Two different methods will be used to confirm the presence of lead, the ICP-MS test and the Palintest. If results show the presence of lead, a pneumatic excavation will be practiced down to the service line to see if the lead is on the public side of the valve or on private property. The project’s second phase consists of examining the impact produced by partially replacing service lines. A new sampling campaign will be carried out in the homes where work was performed to see if replacing the public segment of service line was sufficient to eliminate lead contamination of the water. During the third phase, the City will examine various factors that could influence the amount of lead released into the tap water. Afterwards, the City will monitor the situation to measure the effects of replacement work. Depending on results obtained, a protocol that would apply to the entire City of Montreal will be developed to standardize means for detecting lead pipes.
The project that will allow the City to solve the problem once and for all at the source has the added benefit of prolonging the life cycle of the water distribution infrastructures and protecting the health of consumers. Moreover, it will allow the City to test innovative detection methods that are faster and cheaper than standard lab tests, which will help the City make significant savings when it begins to replace all its lead service lines.
(Project description from original funding application)
Applicant
Ville de Montréal, QC