BRACEBRIDGE, ON- If you live in the District of Muskoka, you don’t need to worry about your drinking water.
That’s the word from the district government, in the wake of recent news reports about lead levels in tap water across Canada exceeding federal standards.
“The District of Muskoka would like to confirm that there are no lead pipes in its municipal water distribution system,” said Marcus Firman, Director of Water and Wastewater Services with the District of Muskoka, in an announcement recently issued by the district.
The district says that testing for lead is regularly done in their distribution system, with levels always “well below” the maximum allowable amount. Mandatory household tests were done in 2007 and 2008 throughout Muskoka, with the results allowing the area to be exempted from further lead sampling in the future.
The district says that lead pipes are not in use through the area’s municipal water systems, but some fittings and solder may contain lead.
“To flush water from household pipes, let the cold water tap run for a few minutes or until the water turns colder,” read the district’s announcement.
“This should be done before drinking or cooking, first thing in the morning, or any other time the plumbing system has not been used for several hours. For seasonal households, since water may be sitting stagnant in pipes, let the water run longer, to flush standing water out of the pipes.”
