As of Tuesday, the city of Thunder Bay is reducing the amount of sodium hydroxide in the water.
Director of the Environment Michelle Warywoda says while it’s too early to tell if the chemical is the main cause of pinhole leaks in customers’ lead pipes, it’s also too early to tell if sodium hydroxide will be brought back.
“I think it’s important right now to focus on the fact that we’re reducing the amount of sodium hydroxide at this time, and we’re providing water filters,” points out Warywoda.
The city added the sodium hydroxide to remove lead in the water. She adds they have not chosen a replacement chemical.
“We’re not choosing any particular one right now, we’re going to study it further. There are communities out there that use phosphates, and sodium hydroxide has also been used in other areas as well. Everyone’s water chemistry is very unique,” says the Director of the Environment.
The city spokesperson cannot say she’s 100% certain it is the culprit behind the pinhole leaks.
“I’m not saying ‘yes or no’, it’s just that we’re investigating it to see what we can find out. But at this time we’ve decided it’s important we make a change to the water system right now,” adds the city official.
The city spokesperson adds they are considering other replacements to reduce lead in the water. It’s also important to point out the lead doesn’t originate from the city’s water treatment plant, but from pipes in older homes.
