Proposed Regina bylaw to make lead pipe replacement mandatory for some homeowners headed to council
If the city replaced its portion of the area's lead pipes, the owner would have to as well
Regina city council's executive committee voted in favour of an amendment to the Regina Water Bylaw which, if passed by council next week, would make replacing private lead pipes mandatory.
If council gives the final approval, homeowners in Regina will have to replace the lead pipes on their property if the city begins a replacement of the adjoining city portion.
"Replacing only the city-owned portion of [lead pipes] does not solve the issue of lead in drinking water if lead plumbing materials also exist on the private side," said the executive committee's Wednesday agenda.
"Disturbing the service connection without completing a full [lead pipe] replacement has been shown to increase lead concentrations in the tap water supplied to residents immediately after replacement and has not been shown to significantly reduce lead levels over time."
The amended bylaw would also include an interest-free agreement, where people who don't want to pay up front would be able to pay in instalments spread out over five years. If the owners meet certain criteria, they may be able to pay over 10 years.
"This actually just expands the program to accommodate to make sure that that can happen in a safe and a co-ordinated fashion," Regina mayor Sandra Masters told reporters Wednesday.
Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Stevens said word on lead pipes and connections has been an issue at city hall for years. He's glad to see more work being done on it, he said.
"It is a public health question. I think the opportunity here is to re-evaluate how this rolls out in the first year. We actually have a report to review already, and next year we'll be doing the same," he said Wednesday, speaking about the payment plans.
"I want to make sure that if there are impediments, those are addressed."