Higher lead amounts in water found in some Brandon homes

Some older homes in Brandon, Man., may have higher than normal amounts of lead in their water, but city officials stress that the drinking water supply is safe.

Early results from a provincial government study show that homes in the western Manitoba city that were built before 1950 are most likely to have a lead water service connection.

The province's study found that in some of those older homes, lead concentration levels were above current national drinking water guidelines, the City of Brandon announced Thursday.

Patrick Pulak, the city's deputy director of water and engineering services, says about 3,600 homes that were built before 1950 may have lead connections to the water mains.

However, it's not known how many of those residences have lead service connections running from the property lines into the homes.

"We're trying to be proactive in getting this information out to the public so there [are] no misconceptions out there," Pulak told CBC News.

The city says residents who live in older homes and are concerned about lead in their drinking water should get their water tested by a certified laboratory.

Pulak said the city will help pay for the water testing and, in some cases, help pay for replacing the pipes if test results show higher than acceptable lead levels.

In a news release, the city stressed that "Brandon's drinking water supply leaving the city's water treatment system continues to be safe and meets the provincial standards for lead concentrations in drinking water of 0.01 milligrams per litre."

Water tests were also conducted in Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie and Steinbach, but the provincial government says it's not releasing the results to the public at this time.