HAMILTON, ON - December 17, 2009 –A Drinking Water Advisory issued July 8, 2009 for the users of the Lynden municipal drinking water system has been lifted.
Lynden residents were notified July 8 that lead had been intermittently detected at concentrations above the Maximum Acceptable Concentration (MAC) in the Lynden water system. The lead concentrations in the Lynden drinking water system have not exceeded the MAC for drinking water since that date. In addition, the lead concentrations in the Lynden drinking water system have returned to historic and normally expected levels since mid-September 2009.
“The Drinking Water Advisory issued in July was due to intermittent detection of lead above the Maximum Allowable Concentration (MAC) in the Lynden drinking water system. This was not considered a risk to the health of the users of the Lynden drinking water system, however, the advisory was issued as a precaution in case the situation persisted or worsened,” said Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, Medical Officer of Health for the city of Hamilton. “Exceeding the MAC for lead is a signal that an investigation needs to take place as the risk to health comes from prolonged exposure.”
Due to the normal test results since Public Works’ corrective actions to eliminate potential sources of lead in the drinking water system, the Medical Officer of Health has lifted the Drinking Water Advisory. There is no longer a public health need to continue using the filters for lead removal that were provided by Public Works.
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Media Contacts:
Dr. Elizabeth Richardson,
Medical Officer of Health
City of Hamilton
Public Health Services
905-546-2424 ext. 3502