High iron, low chlorine
Lakeview residents test their own water
Lakeview residents who drink municipal water probably don’t need iron supplements. According to water test results, commissioned by the Lakeview Terrace Residents Association and Deschênes councillor Richard Bégin, iron levels are excessive in some samples.
According to the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality, “the aesthetic objective for iron in drinking water is less than or equal to 0.3 milligram per litre (mg/l).” One sample from Lakeview reached 4.6 mg/l. The average was 1.91 mg/l.
The iron in the water comes from the old pipes in the neighbourhood. According to one analysis, “the water stagnates in the old cast-iron pipes because of the neighbourhood’s low population density. The iron then reacts with water to form soluble iron oxide (rust) particles, which results in a yellow- to brown-coloured water, depending on the amount of iron.” According to Louis-Jean Faucher, Lakeview resident, “there is no evidence of adverse health effects of iron in the water, though long-term effects are unknown.”
The Lakeview neighbourhood was built up after the Second World War. The neighbourhood was conceived by the Veterans’ Land Administration [VLA] in 1945 to benefit war veterans who wished to resume a civilian life after the war. Most homes were built on half-acre lots.
Ironically, the development was built on the old Patrick Clark farm, between Aylmer Road and Lucerne Boulevard, just west of the old Connaught Race Track, famous for its fine water. According to Diane Aldred’s book, Lakeview Terrace, 1946-1986, the farm’s fresh water springs, were the source of Clark’s well-known drinking water. At the time the spring was capped, it produced some of the best water in South Hull, wrote Aldred.
The water system was the town’s first, as other areas still relied on dug wells. Many of the water pipes -- on Crescent, Oval, Lakeview Drives and Veterans Street -- were laid in 1950 and never changed. Iron particles from the pipes, which the system is unable to filter out, end up in the water. It is considered safe to drink, a message the City continues to stand behind.
The results from nine samples show that the water meets all criteria to be considered drinkable. Despite low levels of chlorine, the water did not contain any bacteria (micro-organisms). However, it did not meet the required standards regarding iron levels and “turbidity”.”
Turbidity is a measure of clarity or cloudiness. According to Health Canada, “for systems that use groundwater, turbidity should be below 1.0 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU).”
Most samples varied between 0.15 and 9.75 NTU. One, drawn from near South Hull School, had a NTU rating of 25.7! According to the tests, the water here consistently scored the worst in every category, including turbidity. Turbidity may affect the taste, look unappealing, and can stain laundry.
Mr Faucher agreed. “Whatever is white turns yellow. Washing clothes in hot water practically ruins them. Bathtubs and toilets turn yellow over time,” he said.
Faucher explained that hot water is problematic because bacterial growth in water heaters is high. “Because Lakeview is sparse (and therefore has a low demand for water), the chlorine (used to disinfect the water) dissipates,” he added.
Six of the nine tests showed no presence of chlorine.
According to the Guidelines for water quality, chlorine is added to drinking water to prevent algal, fungal, slime, and bacterial growth, to keep the filters clean, preserve pipeline capacity, disinfect water mains, and control taste and odour.
According to Faucher, one solution used by the city has been to flush the neighbourhood’s water system by letting the hydrants run for many minutes.
“This does not solve the issue. It is an enormous waste of treated water and the excess water near the foundation is causing problems to some houses (efflorescence, seepage),” explained Faucher. “The association is asking residents who call 3-1-1 to complain about the water to specifically ask the employee not to opt for that solution.”
