IE10.8 REPORT FOR ACTION

Ensuring the Quality of 's Drinking Water – Update

Date: November 22, 2019 To: Infrastructure and Environment Committee From: General Manager, Wards: All

SUMMARY

The purpose of this report is to respond to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee, Item IE9.7 "Ensuring the Quality of Toronto's Drinking Water". The motion directs the General Manager, Toronto Water, in consultation with the Medical Officer of Health, to post any and all testing results immediately on the City's website as well as any public education information which residents can use to assess the safety of Toronto's drinking water and to submit a report to the December 5, 2019 meeting of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on: (a) all drinking water results and any additional information, including testing methodology; and (b) possible programs to help homeowners fund replacement of lead pipes on the private side of connection. This motion can be viewed at: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2019.IE9.7

RECOMMENDATIONS

The General Manager, Toronto Water recommends that:

1. Infrastructure and Environment Committee receive this report for information.

FINANCIAL IMPACT

There is no financial impact from the receipt of this report.

Ensuring the Quality of Toronto's Drinking Water – Update Page 1 of 6 DECISION HISTORY

In 2011, approved the "Lead in Drinking Water Mitigation Strategy" a comprehensive strategy comprised of corrosion control, lead service replacement, a faucet filter program, and public education to help reduce lead in drinking water.

Previous staff reports and updates on lead in drinking water can be found here:

Annual Lead Mitigation Report 2018 https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/96ce-TW-Annual-Lead-Mitigation- Report-2018-Final-a.pdf Annual Report- Lead in Drinking Water Mitigation Strategy 2018 https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2018/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-117624.pdf

Annual Lead in Drinking Water Mitigation Strategy 2017 https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2017/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-106572.pdf

Annual Lead in Drinking Water Mitigation Strategy 2016 https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-96257.pdf

Annual Lead in Drinking Water Mitigation Strategy 2015 https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2015/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-81085.pdf

Lead in Drinking Water Mitigation Strategy – Update 2014 https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2014/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-72320.pdf Appendix A: Corrosion Control Plan: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2014/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-72321.pdf Appendix B: Priority Lead Service Replacement Program - Work Order Process Flow https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2014/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-72322.pdf

Lead in Drinking Water Mitigation Strategy – Response to Request for Information and Contract Award/Reallocation of Funding for Corrosion Control 2013 https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-57360.pdf Appendix A: City of Toronto Water/Sewer Service Card https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-57361.pdf Appendix B: The Potential Health Impacts of Partial Lead Service Line Replacement: A Summary of the Evidence. https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-57362.pdf

2011 Drinking Water Systems Annual and Summary Reports http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2012/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-49660.pdf) Appendix A: 2011 Drinking Water Systems Annual Report https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2012/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-49661.pdf Appendix B: 2011 Drinking Water Systems Summary Reports https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2012/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-49662.pdf Appendix C: Lead in Drinking Water Research Study, Phase II: Telephone Survey https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2012/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-49663.pdf

Ensuring the Quality of Toronto's Drinking Water – Update Page 2 of 6 Appendix D: Lead in Drinking Water Research Study, Phase II: Telephone Survey https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2012/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-49664.pdf Appendix E: Financial Assistance for Private Portions of Lead Water Service Replacement in Canada and USA

https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2012/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-49665.pdf

Corrosion Control Plan for Mitigating Lead in Drinking Water 2011 https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2011/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-40685.pdf

Lead in Drinking Water Mitigation Strategy 2011 http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2011/bu/bgrd/backgroundfile-34876.pdf

The decision history below represents staff reports to Council on programs for consideration to help homeowners fund replacement of lead pipes on the private side of connection:

1) June 20, 2017: Public Works and Infrastructure Committee adopted item PW14.12 regarding the "Feasibility of Using Toronto Renovates Funds to Replace Residential Private-Side Lead Water Service Pipes". This report stated that the Affordable Housing Office will continue to consider residential private-side lead water pipe replacement as part of the Toronto Renovates home repair program, on a case by case basis. This would be subject to an individual homeowner's eligibility for Toronto Renovates and the specific repairs/modifications submitted for funding approval, recognizing that the scope of repair and modification work is determined at the homeowner's discretion. This report is available at: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2016.PW14.12

2) November 3 and 4, 2015: City Council adopted item PW7.20 "Loan Program for Replacement of Residential Private-Side Lead Water Pipes", as amended, and in doing so, directed the Director of Affordable Housing Office, in consultation with other appropriate City staff, to report back to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee in the first quarter of 2016, on the feasibility of Toronto Renovates funds to be used for replacement of private lead water pipes. This Council decision can be viewed at: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2015.PW7.20

3) August 25, 2014: City Council adopted item PW33.16 "Feasibility of Introducing a Residential Private-Side Lead Water Service Connection Replacement Funding Program", and directed the General Manager, Toronto Water, and the Deputy City Manager & Chief Financial Officer to develop a self-funded loan program for property owners wishing to replace lead water service connections situated on their properties, and to report back by the second quarter of 2015 on the details of such program. This Council decision can be viewed at: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2014.PW33.16

Ensuring the Quality of Toronto's Drinking Water – Update Page 3 of 6 COMMENTS

As noted in the staff reports listed in the Decision History section, Toronto Water and Toronto Public Health have worked closely in the preparation and dissemination of public education materials on lead in drinking water. Comprehensive lead in drinking water public education information is available on the City of Toronto website and is regularly reviewed and updated: https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/water- environment/tap-water-in-toronto/lead-drinking-water/

The City's ongoing public education messaging advises residents that the best way to remove lead from drinking water is to replace the entire lead water service pipe – both the City-owned portion of the pipe as well as the portion on private property. The City also advises that if a homeowner believes they may have lead pipes, and it has been a few hours since using tap water, to run a tap until the water is very cold, and then let it run for at least one more minute. This will pull fresh water from the watermain into the pipes.

Public education efforts have included a wide range of communications approaches and tactics including: 311 Knowledge Base; utility bills; social media; health fact sheets and information with pre-construction and construction notices associated with linear infrastructure renewal; city-wide mailing; communication materials distributed with lead test results; posting of non-regulated lead test sample results from 2011 to present on the City's Open Data website; posting of regulated lead test sample results from 2007 on the City's public website; public education associated with the Toronto Water's H2O ToGo Water Trailers at hundreds of public events throughout the City; and, information included in the faucet filter distribution package.

An evaluation of Toronto Water/Toronto Public Health communications efforts were reported on in the annual lead report in September 2016. This report is listed in the Decision History above and can be viewed at: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/pw/bgrd/backgroundfile-96257.pdf

Lead Testing and Results The City of Toronto undertakes two types of lead testing including regulated testing and non-regulated testing and each are explained below. Regulated Testing and Results - Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks In 2007, the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP), under the Safe Drinking Water Act, implemented a Regulated Lead Testing Program for municipalities. All City of Toronto regulated sampling results are available on the City's website toronto.ca/water.

The current regulated testing mandated by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) includes taking samples throughout the year from at least 55 residential and non-residential tap locations and 10 distribution system locations. These samples are taken using the MECP protocol as per Schedule 15.1-7 of Ontario Regulation 170/03, which is available at:

Ensuring the Quality of Toronto's Drinking Water – Update Page 4 of 6 https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/030170#BK33

The MECP sampling protocol for lead testing requires taking two one-litre samples from a drinking water tap. The samples are collected by flushing the tap for five minutes and then waiting for 30 to 35 minutes before taking two samples one after the other.

City's regulated lead testing program results are posted at: https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/water-environment/tap-water-in-toronto/lead- drinking-water/ontario-regulated-lead-testing-program/

Prior to 2009, up to 52% of the samples exceeded 10 ppb (parts per billion) for lead. Following implementation of the corrosion control program, the lead levels in the past three years have decreased substantially with less than 2% samples exceeding the 10 ppb level. Non Regulated Testing and Results - City of Toronto The City has been offering free lead tests to property owners since 2005. This is a non- regulated program provided free of charge to residents concerned about the possibility of lead in their tap drinking water. Residents can pick up and drop off a water sample kit at one of five Toronto Public Health locations. The sampling instructions recommend the use of kitchen tap and taking a sample after flushing the tap either for five minutes or until at least one minute after the temperature of the water is consistently cold.

While each kit contains detailed instructions on how to obtain an accurate tap water sample, variability in the method and location of sample collection by residents is expected, and will affect interpretation of results and trends. Toronto Water provides lead test results to all residents who submit a test. The number of lead samples analyzed per year have ranged from a low of 121 samples in 2005 to a high of 5,256 in 2009. In 2018, a total of 980 samples were analyzed.

Since 2011, the City of Toronto has posted non-regulated lead testing results on the City's Open Data Catalogue site at https://open.toronto.ca/dataset/non-regulated-lead- sample/ and it is updated monthly.

The City has reviewed all test results and public education information currently on the City's website and is confident that it is comprehensive and up-to-date. Homeowners Loan Program Toronto City Council has previously reviewed and considered various funding mechanisms, but did not approve the establishment of a loan program to provide financial assistance to eligible residential property owners to replace the private-side lead water service pipes on their properties. Various programs previously considered to help homeowners to replace residential private-side lead water service pipes are as follows:

• Using Toronto Renovates Funds • Low interest or easily accessible loans through local financial institutions • Development of a self-funded loan program

Ensuring the Quality of Toronto's Drinking Water – Update Page 5 of 6

CONTACT

William Fernandes, Director, Water Treatment and Supply, Toronto Water, Telephone: 416-338 8220, E-mail: [email protected]

SIGNATURE

Lou Di Gironimo General Manager, Toronto Water

Ensuring the Quality of Toronto's Drinking Water – Update Page 6 of 6