Lead Water Service Lines and Plumbing Repair in Regina: What the City Replaces and What Is Yours

Do you have one?

A house built before about 1960 in Regina’s older neighbourhoods may have a lead water service. The City of Regina maintains a map and a lookup of addresses with known or suspected lead connections, and it is the first place to check. Inside the house, the service line comes through the basement wall or floor to the water meter; a lead pipe is dull grey, soft enough to scratch with a key, and does not ring when tapped. Copper is orange, galvanized steel is grey but hard and magnetic. A plumber can confirm it in minutes.

The lead is usually only in the service line, not in the plumbing inside the house, but old brass fixtures and lead solder in pre-1990 copper joints contribute too.

The City’s replacement program

The City of Regina replaces lead service lines on the public side as part of its water main renewal and a targeted replacement schedule, and it has run programs to help owners replace the private side at the same time, including cost-sharing and payment arrangements through the utility bill. The details, eligibility and amounts change, so read the City’s current program page and contact the City before hiring a plumber, because the program often requires that the private replacement be coordinated with the City’s work on the public side.

Replacing only one half leaves lead in the water, and disturbing an old lead pipe can temporarily raise lead levels; that is why the City coordinates both sides and provides flushing guidance afterward.

• Your address checked on the City’s lead service line lookup
• Service line material confirmed at the meter
• City program eligibility and current terms
• Water test result, if you want one
• Plumber’s quote for the private side, coordinated with the City

Reducing exposure meanwhile

Health Canada’s guideline for lead in drinking water is low, and children and pregnant people are most at risk. Until the line is replaced, run the cold tap until the water turns noticeably colder before using it for drinking or cooking, especially after the water has sat for hours; never use hot tap water for drinking or cooking; and use a pitcher or tap filter certified to the NSF standard for lead reduction, changed on schedule. The City has offered filters to affected households in the past; ask. The City and Saskatchewan Health Authority publish guidance on testing.

A whole-home water softener does not remove lead.

Plumbing repair in old Regina houses

The same houses have other plumbing at the end of its life: galvanized supply pipe corroding shut, cast-iron drains cracked by the clay, and sewer lines dragged out of line by seasonal soil movement. If you are excavating for the service line, ask the plumber whether the sewer line should be camera-inspected in the same visit. Plumbing is not a licensed trade in Saskatchewan in the way gas and electrical are, so the plumber’s insurance, Workers’ Compensation Board coverage and warranty are what you are relying on; a City plumbing permit is needed for the service replacement and for layout changes.

Consumer complaints about contractors go to Saskatchewan’s Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority.