Asbestos-Cement Pipes and Drinking Water
Between the 1940’s and 1970’s, cement containing asbestos was used for water distribution pipes (known as A-C pipe). A-C pipe has not been installed in municipal water systems for over 50 years and it is a generally accepted practice that A-C pipe be removed and replaced during any construction that exposes these pipes that remain in the ground.
The following links provide information on asbestos in drinking water including potential methods of exposure, health risks and treatment information.
For Members of the Public:
- Asbestos in drinking water
- Is the Asbestos in Our Drinking Water Dangerous?
- Asbestos in Drinking Water: The Danger of Old Asbestos Pipes and Natural Disasters
- Asbestos in the Water Supply
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (United States) – ToxFAQs™ for Asbestos
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (United States) – Public Health Statement for Asbestos
Water Quality Guidelines
- Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality: Guideline Technical Document – Asbestos
- World Health Organization – Asbestos in drinking-water
- United States Environmental Protection Agency – National Primary Drinking Water Regulations
For Operators, Management, Council Members and Communications Teams:
- Canadian Water and Wastewater Association Speaking Notes on Asbestos-Cement Water Pipes
- Trending in an Instant – A Risk Communication Guide for Water Utilities
Photo from Canadian Water and Wastewater Association Speaking Notes on Asbestos-Cement Water Pipes.
View these similar posts on the WCWC online library for more information.
Health Canada Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality
Per- & Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS, PFOA & PFOS)
Legionella & Legionnaires’ Disease (Legionellosis)
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Lead in Drinking Water
The following links provide information regarding lead in drinking water and how to minimize exposure through line replacement, flushing, treatment and sampling programs.
Visit our online library’s main webpage to find more resources on topics related to drinking water.
Guidance Document for Public Consultation
Community Communication
- Communicating about Lead Service Lines
- Daily cleaning tips to clean your home’s drinking water pipes
- Drinking water: What about lead?
- Finding lead pipes
- How to clean your faucet aerator
- How to Identify Lead Free Certification Marks for Drinking Water System & Plumbing Products
- How to know if you have a lead water pipe
- How to replace your lead pipes
- How to test your water for lead
- Information for Property Owners about Lead Water Service Line Replacement
- Lead Communications
- Lead and Drinking Water: Talking with Your Community
- Lead in Drinking Water: Fact Sheet
- Together, Let’s Get the Lead Out!
- Water Filter Guide
Lead Service Line Replacement
- Approaches to Lead Service Line Replacement
- Collaborating to Replace Lead Service Lines Webinar: Filter Effectiveness
- Communicating about Lead Service Lines
- Coordinating and Implementing Replacement of Lead Service Lines
- Digging Deep – Searching Decades of National Records to Find Lead Service Lines and Goosenecks
- Encouraging Customer-Initiated LSL Replacement Webinar: Two Case Studies
- Engaging Communities in Planning and Communicating about LSL Replacement Webinar
- Equity Considerations in LSL Replacement Programs Webinar
- High‐Velocity Household and Service Line Flushing Following LSL Replacement
- How to check your water service line material
- How to Identify Lead Free Certification Marks for Drinking Water System & Plumbing Products
- Identifying Service Line Material
- Implications for Use of Lead Free Pipes, Fittings, Fixtures, Solder, and Flux for Drinking Water Rule
- Information for Property Owners about Lead Water Service Line Replacement
- Intensive flushing to clean your home’s drinking water pipes following a LSL replacement
- Introduction to Lead and Lead Service Line Replacement
- Lead in Water and Full Lead Service Line Replacement
- Lead Service Line Identification and Replacement: Introduction to the Series
- Lead Service Line Replacement Collaborative
- Lead Service Line Replacement: Funding
- Lead Service Line Replacement: Legal Factors
- Lead Service Line Replacement: Outreach Materials
- Lead Service Line Replacement: Plan Development
- Lead Service Line Replacement Practices
- Lead Service Line Replacement: Vital Tips from Leading Utility Managers
- Lead Service Lines Frequently Asked Questions
- Managing Lead in Drinking Water
- Managing Lead in Pipe Scales – Understanding How Water Quality Affects Lead Release
- Mapping Lead Service Lines: Charting a Path to Engage a Community Webinar
- Mapping Lead Service Line Probability in Small Water Systems
- Preparing a Lead Service Line Inventory
- Q&A from Lead Service Line Replacement: Vital Tips from Leading Utility Managers
- RCAP, Small Water Systems and Lead Service Line Inventories Webinar
- Replacing lead service lines at Denver Water
- Replacing Lead Service Lines in Early Learning Environments Webinar
- Strategies to Obtain Customer Acceptance of Complete Lead Service Line Replacement
- Understanding Lead Service Line Replacement Techniques
- Use of Lead Free Pipes, Fittings, Fixtures, Solder, and Flux for Drinking Water
Managing & Minimizing Exposure
- 3Ts for Child Care Facilities: A Training, Testing and Taking Action Approach
- 3Ts for Public Water Utilities: A Training, Testing and Taking Action Approach
- 3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools and Child Care Facilities: A Training, Testing and Taking Action Approach
- 3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water Toolkit
- 3Ts for Tribal Schools: A Training, Testing and Taking Action Approach
- Aggregation of Lead Phosphate Particles: Implication for Lead Removal in Tap Water
- Chloride to Sulfate Mass Ratio and Galvanic Connection Changes – Impact on Lead Leaching
- Daily cleaning tips to clean your home’s drinking water pipes
- Finding lead pipes
- Flint Water Crisis: Can It Happen in Canada?
- Guidance on Controlling Corrosion in Drinking Water Distribution Systems
- Guide for Small Community Water Suppliers and Local Health Officials on Lead in Drinking Water
- How to clean your faucet aerator
- Identify and Remove Sources of Lead
- Identifying Service Line Material
- Intensive flushing to clean your home’s drinking water pipes
- Lead and Copper Corrosion: An Overview of WRF Research
- Lead and Copper Corrosion Control in New Construction
- Lead and Copper Rule Monitoring and Reporting Guidance for Public Water Systems
- Lead and Copper Rule Potential Regulatory Changes, Corrosion Chemistry, and Stakeholder Communication
- Lead and Copper Rule Revisions White Paper
- Lead & Water Quality
- Lead in Drinking Water: Homes and Schools
- Lead in School Drinking Water: Approaching a Public Health Issue from an Occupational Hygiene Perspective
- Lead (IV) Oxide Formation and Stability in Drinking Water Distribution Systems
- Lead Safe Toolkit for Home-Based Child Care Webinar Series – Lead in Drinking Water
- Minimize Your Risk of Lead Exposure
- Optimal Corrosion Control Treatment Evaluation Technical Recommendations
- Poisoned Pipelines: What Can Be Learned from the Catastrophe in Flint, Michigan?
- Proposed Revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule
- Public Health and Industry: Partners In Reducing Lead Exposure
- Use of Lead Free Pipes, Fittings, Fixtures, Solder, and Flux for Drinking Water
- Water Filter Guide
- When to Make a Corrosion Control Treatment Change
Sources of Lead in Drinking Water & Health Information
- Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water
- Childhood Lead Exposure
- Drinking water: What about lead?
- Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality for Lead
- Is there Lead in my Drinking Water? Brochure
- Lead & Copper
- Lead Fact Sheet
- Lead in Drinking Water Fact Sheet
- Lead in Drinking Water – NSF Certified Filters
- Sources of Lead in Drinking Water
- Sources of Lead: Water
- Water Talk – Lead in drinking water
Standards
- AWWA C810-17 REPLACEMENT AND FLUSHING OF LEAD SERVICE LINES
- INTERNAL CORROSION CONTROL AND LEAD SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT DVD
- M58 INTERNAL CORROSION CONTROL IN WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS, SECOND EDITION
Testing
- 3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools and Child Care Facilities: A Training, Testing and Taking Action Approach
- Assessing Portable Analyzers for Lead Testing in School Drinking Water
- Evaluation of Lead Line Sampling Strategies
- Lead Sampling Protocols for School Drinking Water
- Testing for Lead In School Drinking Water: A Summary of Sampling Protocols
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Natural Organic Matter and Disinfection By-Products
The following links provide information on natural organic matter (NOM) and the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) when a chlorine-based disinfectant is introduced in drinking water. Information on treatment strategies to reduce both NOM and DBPs are included in this post.
Visit our online library’s main webpage to find more resources on topics related to drinking water.
Abstracts & Articles
- Advanced Water Treatment Strategies for the Removal of Natural and Synthetic Organic Contaminants
- Chlorination Disinfection By-Products in Drinking Water
- Control and Prevention of Disinfection By-Product Formation Through Source Water Monitoring Using Photoelectrochemical Oxygen Demand (peCOD)
- Control Of Chlorinated Disinfection By-Products (DBPs): Pilot Testing Experiences In Two Ontario First Nations Communities
- Drivers of Disinfection Byproduct Cytotoxicity in U.S. Drinking Water: Should Other DBPs Be Considered for Regulation?
- Formation and removal of ozonation by-products in drinking water biofilters
- Trihalomethanes: Concentrations, Cancer Risks, and Regulations
Fact Sheets & Technical Bulletins
- Disinfection Byproducts
- Organic Removal
- Trihalomethane and haloacetic acid sampling and reporting requirements technical bulletin
- Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) & Groundwater
- Water Treatment and Disinfection By-Product Formation
Guides
Pilot Testing Project Reports
- Conventional and Dissolved Air Flotation Jar Testing
- Conventional Treatment Optimization for Big Grassy First Nation
- Decentralized Pilot Testing for Wauzhushk Onigum Nation
- Effect of Fixed Bed Ion Exchange Process in Addition to Enhanced Coagulation on the Reduction of High Levels of Organics
- Optimization of Conventional Treatment Processes for Residual Aluminum Control
- Reduction of Iron and Manganese Using Conventional Treatment and Greensand Filtration
- Taste and Odour Control Strategies with Advanced Oxidation Processes and Granular Activated Carbon for the Tay Area Water Treatment Plant
- Ultrafiltration and Granular Activated Carbon Pilot Testing with the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation
Pilot Testing Project Summaries
- Conventional and Dissolved Air Flotation Jar Testing
- Conventional Treatment Optimization for Big Grassy First Nation
- Decentralized Pilot Testing for Wauzhushk Onigum Nation
- Pilot Testing with Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation
- Pilot Testing with Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation
- Pilot Testing with the Township of Tay to Reduce Taste and Odour
Presentations
- Assessing Post-Treatment Aeration Variables to Reduce Disinfection Byproducts(THMs) for Small Systems
- Minimizing DBPs With Multiple Disinfectant Barriers to Achieve Multiple Objectives
- Pilot Testing of Selected Technologies for the Removal of Natural Organic Matter for A First Nation Water Treatment Plant
- Pilot Testing Services and a Case Study to Reduce Organics
- Reducing Disinfection By-Products in Small Drinking Water Systems
- Using Fixed Bed Ion Exchange Process to Enhance the Reduction of Organics
Testing
- How-to filter a drinking water sample
- How-to analyze true and apparent colour of a drinking water sample
- How-to analyze UV absorbance and transmittance in a drinking water sample
- How-to analyze total and dissolved organic carbon (TOC/DOC)
Webinars
- Advances in PAC Adsorption for DBP Precursor and Micropollutant Removal
- Localized Treatment for Disinfection By-Products
- Reducing Volatile DBPs in Treated Drinking Water Using Aeration Technologies
Visit our online library’s main webpage to find more resources on topics related to drinking water or view these similar posts.
Natural Organic Matter in Drinking Water Course Resources
List of Laboratories Licensed to Perform Drinking Water Testing in Ontario
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Entry-Level Course for Drinking Water Operators Course Resources
This post provides resources for WCWC’s Entry-Level Course for Drinking Water Operators (ELCDWO).
Supporting Documents
Videos
Visit our course catalog to view all our training courses and the upcoming schedule or select the course overview below to learn more about this course.
Visit our online library’s main webpage to find more resources on topics related to drinking water.
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Read MoreLeak Detection and Flow Measurement Course Resources
This post provides resources for WCWC’s Leak Detection and Flow Measurement course.
Videos
- Gutermann Fixed Network Alpha System – Zonescan Net Software
- SmartBall Water Main Leak Detection and Pipeline Condition Assessment
- EchoShore-DX Technology Overview
- Gutermann AQUASCOPE 3 Ground Microphone
- Utilis leak detection technology from space
- Gusher
Visit our course catalog to view all our training courses and the upcoming schedule or select the course overview below to learn more about this course.
Visit our online library’s main webpage to find more resources on topics related to drinking water.
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Read MoreNew Watermain Commissioning Course Resources
This post provides resources for WCWC’s New Watermain Commissioning course.
Supporting Documents
- Watermain Disinfection Procedure
- Watermains: Design and Construction Manual – Linear Municipal Infrastructure
Videos
Visit our course catalog to view all our training courses and the upcoming schedule or select the course overview below to learn more about this course.
Visit our online library’s main webpage to find more resources on topics related to drinking water.
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Read MorePerforming Service Taps on Watermains Course Resources
This post provides resources for WCWC’s Performing Service Taps on Watermains course.
Supporting Documents
Videos
- Bad Tap
- ACPPA Tapping Under Pressure Produced by Capture Video
- Reed Direct Tapping Machine – Drainage Solutions, Inc.
- Mueller CL-12™ Drilling Machine Training
- The SAFETap Tapping Harness
Visit our course catalog to view all our training courses and the upcoming schedule or select the course overview below to learn more about this course.
Visit our online library’s main webpage to find more resources on topics related to drinking water.
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Read MorePerforming Inspections and Maintenance of Fire Hydrants Course Resources
This post provides resources for WCWC’s Performing Inspections and Maintenance of Fire Hydrants course.
Supporting Documents
Videos
- American AVK – How to Install a Hydrant Extension Kit
- Exploding Fire Hydrant
- How to Fix a Fire Hydrant
- Hydrant Inspection and Flushing
- Bad Fire Hydrant Flow Testing
- Mueller Centurion 250 Boot Security Device
Tools
Visit our course catalog to view all our training courses and the upcoming schedule or select the course overview below to learn more about this course.
Performing Inspection and Maintenance of Fire Hydrants – CEU: 0.7
Visit our online library’s main webpage to find more resources on topics related to drinking water.
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Read MoreWater Instabilities in Distribution Systems Course Resources
This post provides resources for WCWC’s Water Instabilities in Distribution Systems course.
Videos
Visit our course catalog to view all our training courses and the upcoming schedule or select the course overview below to learn more about this course.
Water Instabilities in Distribution Systems (3 hour) – CEU: 0.3
Visit our online library’s main webpage to find more resources on topics related to drinking water.
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Read MoreWater Storage Facilities Course Resources
This post provides resources for WCWC’s Water Storage Facilities course.
Videos
Visit our course catalog to view all our training courses and the upcoming schedule or select the course overview below to learn more about this course.
Visit our online library’s main webpage to find more resources on topics related to drinking water.
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