Lead levels in drinking water

December 12, 2019

-Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) is implementing the new lower maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) for lead of 0.005 mg/L (5 µg/L) as published by Health Canada under its Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality in March of 2019.

-Alberta will adopt and begin to implement the new MAC for lead as a drinking water quality limit for AEP regulated waterworks. Starting January 1, 2020, waterworks systems with Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act Approval and Registration authorizations will have five (5) years to develop and implement a required lead management program.

-The Town of Pincher Creek will be undertaking a testing plan following the timeline outlined in this Alberta Environment and Parks document: Click here.

-In routine water analysis carried out by an external lab, the Town of Pincher Creek’s lead levels were undetectable, however, this does not mean that some older houses may have lead services or fixtures.
-For more information, please see the following video from the American Water works Association: Click here.

-More in-depth information can be found in this document from the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association: Click here.

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