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Abbotsford’s drinking water free of lead – in the distribution system, at least

While water in city pipes is free of lead, hazards exist in pipes on private property
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The water in Abbotsford’s distribution system has water levels “well below” a tougher federal health benchmark.

Asked about the city’s drinking water during budget meetings earlier this month, engineering general manager Rob Isaac said regular testing shows that “there is no lead in our distribution system.”

Isaac noted that while the water distributed by the city is fine, there is still some contamination risk that residents should be aware of.

“When you move onto private property, in some cases there are older lines inside houses that have copper- and lead-soldered joints, as well as some of the cheaper fixtures potentially have lead.”

Tests have found that many schools in Canada – and most in Abbotsford – have water with lead limits exceeding a threshold set by Health Canada.

RELATED: Most public schools in Abbotsford and Mission have water contaminated with lead

Public health authorities have urged people to flush their drinking water lines until they feel cold, to ensure that water is free of contaminants that can originate over time from older pipes and other connections.

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