Filter rebate 'a good first step' on lead-contaminated water, says Brandon resident

A Brandon resident whose drinking water contained three times the acceptable level of lead says city-offered rebates on water filters to help remove the heavy metal marks a step in the right direction, but he wants the city to go further.

"I'm really pleased to see that the city is making an effort to be public about the fact that our water does have a lead issue," said Steve Saul, who tested his water after a visit to Flint, Mich., a city in the midst of a lead-tainted water crisis. "The filter rebate is a good step. If nothing else, it is a token toward public awareness." 

Earlier this week, Brandon announced a program to offer one-time $100 cash rebates to residents in parts of the city identified as having lead service connections or higher levels of lead than acceptable according to national drinking water guidelines. 

• Brandon to offer rebate on water filters in response to lead concerns
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• Criminal charges laid in Flint water crisis
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Since 2013, the city has offered subsidized water testing of lead levels and helps fund replacement pipes when the levels are higher than acceptable.

But Saul fears many don't understand the risks of lead or the convoluted test results when they get them back. In the past, the city hasn't included warnings or explanations of the results, he says.

"It's just these numbers and acronyms," said Saul, who drinks bottled water now. "I'm not sure everyone who submits this would grasp what they meant." 

As part of the announcement earlier in the week, the city said it plans to mail out comprehensive information packages to around 5,000 households that may still have lead service connections.

Patrick Pulak, the city director of engineering services and water resources, says it's the most comprehensive information package on the heavy metal sent out by the city to date.

City cautions against acting too fast

Saul also said he'd like the city to explore the possibility of adding corrosion inhibitors called orthophosphates to Brandon's water. The chemical compound is used to control lead in tap water in many cities in the United States and Canada, including Winnipeg, which started adding the compound in 2000.

Pulak said changing the chemistry of the water is one long-term solution the city is looking at, but cautions against acting too fast. 

"We have to ensure that there is not a secondary problem we are creating, just because our water chemistry is different than another community's water chemistry," he said. "It's something we have to approach and ensure we are not creating a bigger problem." 

"It's not something that affects 5,000 households, but every single household in Brandon," Pulak added. 

The city is also looking into a company currently working in Flint, Mich., that lines the insides of lead pipes to create a barrier between the lead and the water, he said. The city invited the company to make a presentation in Brandon.

The ultimate, and most costly, solution is replacing all lead piping, Pulak said.  

As for Saul, he is considering taking the city up on their water filter rebate but isn't too sure about giving up his bottled water just yet. 

"I don't know enough about them now to know whether I would switch to be my primary source of drinking water," he said. "It's bound to be useful for cooking or other things."