FOLLOWING recent media reports of water quality issues in Canadian municipalities, the City of Vancouver on Tuesday said it would like to confirm that the City phased out lead pipes in its water distribution system in the 1980s and 1990s.

The City said it takes the health and safety of its residents very seriously. It routinely tests water flowing through its distribution system and can confirm lead levels are within Health Canada’s lead guidelines of five parts per billion.

The City performs routine metals sampling twice annually at five sites in the water distribution system selected by Metro Vancouver. These samples are analyzed by a certified laboratory and are consistently under Health Canada’s guidelines.

As regulated by the Province of B.C., City jurisdiction over water quality ends at the property service connection.