Is there lead in your water?

The City’s Action Plan consists of four key elements:

• Replacing lead services on public land
• Testing water in private residences, also called lead sampling
• Distributing information booklets and water filters to higher risk households
• Implementing a subsidy program for private lead service replacement

Current provincial regulations only require that water quality be maintained at the level of the municipal network. Increasingly, municipalities are implementing by-laws that extend the requirements for water quality all the way into residents’ homes, meaning households served by lead pipes are required to upgrade to safer materials. While this is not the case currently in Westmount, we do encourage residents to take a proactive approach in informing themselves on the plumbing situation at their home and on the process involved in updating lead or galvanized steel pipes.

The City of Westmount took ownership of the water mains and the public portion of the water services from the City of Montreal in 2006.

Since 2007, the City has been actively replacing lead services through the annual capital works programme as well as through the Public Works’ annual water maintenance programme. To date, 45% of lead water services in Westmount have been replaced with copper pipes.

Since 2015, the City has undertaken an aggressive water main replacement and rehabilitation investment plan, including the replacement of the public portion of the water services. A 100% completion rate has been achieved for these projects.

Recently completed and upcoming projects:

• 2020: Claremont (Sherbrooke – Côte-St-Antoine), Mount Pleasant (Sherbrooke – Holton), Stayner
• 2021: Lexington (Sunnyside – northern limit), Devon (Lexington – Summit Crescent), Mount-Stephen
• 2022: Arlington, Murray Hill, Claremont (De Maisonneuve – Sherbrooke)
• 2023: Wood (Sainte-Catherine – Wood), Victoria (Côte-St-Antoine – Westmount), De Casson, Edgehill (Lexington – The Boulevard East), Grosvenor (Westmount – The Boulevard)

If the public portion of the water service connected to your property is made of lead, and the private portion has already been fitted with copper pipes, you may request the replacement of the public portion by the City. Each request will be processed according to the City’s planning constraints.

To be eligible:

• A home water analysis carried out by the City or by an accredited laboratory must demonstrate the presence of lead.
• The public portion of the water service must be made of lead.
• The private portion of the water service must be made of copper.
• The owner, or their legal representative, must fill and submit the form below.

Request to replace a public water service

Since 2023, the City of Westmount began distributing NSF/ANSI 53 compliant pitcher-style filters to homes identified by the City as possibly being serviced by a lead water pipe on either the public or private side. Distribution is planned equitably across each district. Homes identified for distribution each year receive a pamphlet with information and the option to opt-out if they do not wish to receive a filter.

In-home Water Testing

The City of Westmount’s annual lead sampling programme involves the testing of water at private residences throughout the City. This programme aligns with the guidelines of the Ministère de l’Environnement, et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP) for evaluating lead content in drinking water. Eligibility for the programme is based on the likelihood for lead service entries, which connect the municipal water network to a residence, in the area where a home is located.

If yours is a single-family home or a residential building of 8 units of less, built before 1971, that has not previously been tested by the City, you may proceed to fill out the form below. Your request for water testing will first be evaluated for your home’s eligibility. If your home is considered eligible for the programme, you will be contacted as testing slots become available.

Sign Up for Water Testing

Each year, the City can provide in-home lead sampling tests to over 200 homes, at no cost to residents. If you are interested in taking part in the water sampling programme, please communicate your interest and the City will contact you in the spring to make an appointment.

Important information:

• A limited number of tests is allotted annually on a first come, first served basis.
• Tests must be conducted between July and September of each year.
• Testing appointments require approximately 45 minutes.
• Water testing is performed by an independent and accredited laboratory mandated by the City.
• The technician will verify the material of the private water service entry inside the home during the appointment for testing. This information will be collected by the City.

Water testing in private residences is based on voluntary participation. All participating residents will be informed of their test results via a personalized letter when the study is complete. Otherwise, the results remain confidential. 

Residents can also test their water for lead at their own cost by contacting a laboratory that is accredited by the Ministère de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques.

Sign up for residential water testing

As part its Lead Elimination Action Plan, the Engineering Department has developed a subsidy programme to encourage residents to replace the private lead or galvanised steel water service pipes. The programme offers homeowners a financial incentive to undertake these works if they meet the conditions defined within the programme and until available funds are exhausted for the calendar year.

Owners must apply for this grant after the work to replace their private lead or galvanised steel water pipes has been completed.

Objectives of the Subsidy Programme

Encourage homeowners to replace their private lead or galvanised steel water services in order to:

• Reduce the exposure to lead in the drinking water
• Extend the usable life of the building’s water connection
• Improve residents’ quality of life
• Conform to the MAMH requirements for a lead action plan

Subsidy Amount

The City’s Lead Action Plan proposes a 25% subsidy, up to $2,500 (taxes included) per home for the replacement of private lead or galvanised steel service pipes.

Eligibility

In accordance with the Municipal Aid Prohibition Act, eligibility will be initially based on the following criteria:

• The building and water service must be located within the territory of the City of Westmount.
• The building must have been constructed in or before 1971.
• The building must have 8 units or less.
• At least 50% of the building surface area must be used for residential purposes:
  • Buildings used exclusively for commercial purposes or intended to serve transient clientele are not eligible for this subsidy.
  • Buildings converted into residential or mixed-use buildings less than 20 years ago are not eligible for this subsidy.
  • Buildings built after 1971 are not eligible for this subsidy.

Additional Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the subsidy programme, the following requirements must be met:

• A portion or the entire length of the private water pipe must be made of lead or galvanised steel.
• All lead or galvanised steel pipes between the City’s valve and the private building must be replaced.
• Plumbing work must be performed by a member of the Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie du Québec (CMMTQ)
• The necessary work and plumbing permits must be obtained from the City.

Documentation Required for Eligibility

To guarantee eligibility for the subsidy programme, property owners must also provide the City with the following documents:

• Proof of the presence of lead or galvanised steel pipes (signed attestation by a CMMTQ-registered plumber with supporting photos).
• Photos of the landscaping before the work is carried out.
• Confirmation from a CMMTQ-registered plumber that the entire private water service has been replaced.
• Copy of the plumbing permit issued by the City.
• An itemized list of all work done with all supporting invoices.

Eligible Work

• Removal and replacement of the private water service.
• Excavation.
• Plumbing work.
• Backfilling.
• Restoration of the property to its original condition, including landscaping.
• Landscaping elements such as modifying the existing landscaping, changing materials, or adding new plants following the water service replacement are not eligible for the subsidy.
• Excavation work must be carried out by a specialized contractor with an RBQ license.
• Plumbing work must be performed by a member of the Corporation des maîtres mécaniciens en tuyauterie du Québec (CMMTQ).

Eligible Costs

• Cost of materials purchased.
• Cost of equipment, tools, and labor required to perform the eligible work (taxes included).

Corrective Work

If corrections or additions need to be made to the work after the subsidy has been granted, it is understood that this additional work will not be eligible for a new subsidy.

Eligibility Period

The subsidy application form must be submitted to the City for approval within 12 months of the completion of work on the private portion of the lead or galvanised steel water service. Subsidy requests will be treated on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications will be accepted until available funds are exhausted for a calendar year (period between January 1 and December 31).

2023 Exception

Exceptionally, lead and galvanised steel service replacements completed between January 1 and December 31, 2023, will be accepted under the 2024 subsidy programme, subject to the availability of funds. Subsidy requests will be treated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Process

• Fill out the subsidy application form on the Citizen Portal.
• Submit the following documents along with the subsidy application form:
  • Proof of ownership: Current year’s municipal tax bill or deed of purchase.
  • Authorization letter (if applicable): A letter from the property owner authorizing a representative (individual) to sign the form.
  • Detailed contractor invoice: A sufficiently detailed invoice from the contractor who replaced the private portion of the lead supply line.
    OR
  • Material purchase invoices: Invoices for the purchase of materials needed to replace the private portion of the lead supply line.
• Proof of lead or galvanised steel pipes: A signed attestation by a CMMTQ-registered plumber with supporting photos.
• Proof of replacement date: Proof of the date the private lead or galvanised steel water service was replaced.
• Before and after landscaping photos: Photos of the landscaping before and after the replacement work is completed.
• A copy of all permits issued for the work.
• Additional documentation: Any other documents deemed necessary by the Engineering Department to process the application.

Apply for the subsidy

Drinking water produced and distributed by the Montreal and Westmount aqueduct network is of excellent quality and meets all regulatory standards.

There are no lead drinking water mains in our system. However, there are still lead water services on public and private land that supply residences from these main lines. Since the 1970s, the modernization of municipal infrastructure has reduced lead levels on our territory, but there is still work to be done to remove the remaining lead water inlets.

Private residences likely to have higher lead levels have been identified based on the following criteria: residences and apartment buildings of 8 units or less built before 1971. Residences meeting this criteria are encouraged to participate in the City’s in-home water testing programme. The City also provides support and information to help maintain the quality of drinking water in these homes.

In addition, the interactive map of utility entrances shows areas identified as being at higher risk. The replacement of lead water services on public land is underway and a list of completed and upcoming projects is available below on this page.

Traces of lead are present everywhere in our environment: in the air, in the ground, in dust, in lead-based paint in old buildings, in food such as meat from hunting, and in various consumer goods such as children’s toys where lead is used to fix the color.

Water remains one of the principal sources of lead exposure.

• Lead is generally not present in drinking water distribution systems. However, it can be found in small quantities in situations where pipes, especially service entrances, between certain houses and the municipal distribution network contain lead.
• All homes built prior to 1970 are at high risk of being serviced by lead pipes as this was a commonly used material until this time.
• Welds in the internal plumbing of buildings can also be a source of lead in water; the National Plumbing Code banned the use of solder containing more than 0.2% lead in 1989.

While waiting for the results of an in-home water analysis, or for the completion of work to replace your service entry pipes, preventive measures can be adopted on a daily basis to reduce the risks of exposure to lead:

• Use cold water
  Running your cold water tap will draw fresh water directly from the network and flush any water that had remained stagnant in a lead service pipe. Let the water run for 1-2 minutes after it has become cold to ensure all the stagnant water has been flushed out.
• Regularly clean your faucet aerator
  Lead particles can break off from old pipes and get trapped in the faucet aerator.
• Filter your water
  Use the pitcher type NSF/ANSI 53 compliant filter distributed by the City or a similar one that you have procured yourself.

Note: There is no need to boil water as lead does not evaporate and is not destroyed by boiling.