After almost ten years, rural Hamilton community’s water advisory has been lifted
Published August 5, 2021 at 2:59 pm
A nearly ten-year lead drinking water advisory (DWA) for the residents of Lynden has finally been lifted.
In a press release issued Thursday (Aug. 5), the City of Hamilton announced that residents of the area can resume normal use of their drinking water after the Medical Officer of Health lifted the DWA, which had been in effect since September 2011.
“Following the commissioning of the new water treatment facility in Lynden, flushing of the water system, and over a year of sampling, Public Health Services has verified that the water in this community is safe to drink,” said Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, Hamilton’s Medical Officer of Health, in the release.
“I want to recognize the community’s patience and understanding as they awaited an outcome to this longstanding drinking water advisory.”
The new Lynden Municipal Water System treatment plant was completed in July 2020 but the DWA remained in place for a year to allow Hamilton Water to ensure its sustainable operation, conduct testing, and complete drinking water system flushing to ensure any residual sediment within the watermains was removed.
“Lynden Municipal Water distribution system has been flushed and sampled for over a year ensuring the water is safe to drink without the use of tap water filters,” the release said.
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“The Lead in the water system is well below the Maximum Acceptable Concentration (MAC) of 0.010 milligrams per litre.”
According to the City, this means that the drinking water in Lynden is now safe to drink and use for cooking, making baby formula, etc., without the need for an NSF Standard #53 lead tap water filter which the City distributed to residents in the area.
Since the DWA was issued in 2011, the City said in a letter to Lynden residents that there has only been one additional lead test that exceeded Provincial standards and that the advisory has remained in effect ‘out of an abundance of caution.’
To learn more about water quality in Hamilton visit the City’s website. To learn more about Lynden’s water supply and that of other rural communities in the municipality visit here.
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