On June 2, 2022, Halifax Water’s Get the Lead Out program won a Water Canada 2022 Water’s Next Award in the Drinking Water category as part of the 13th annual Canadian Water Summit Conference held in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. The Water’s Next Awards recognize individuals, projects, and technologies that have made significant contributions to the water industry in Canada and beyond.
Launched in March of 2021, the Get the Lead Out program is the first of its kind in Canada to have a goal of removing all lead service lines by 2038. The program allows Halifax Water to take control of the timeline and process, enabling a proactive approach that actively seeks out service lines to replace when the opportunity is optimal while still considering the public health risk, cost, and ease of replacement.
“It is an honour to be recognized by our industry peers. The program’s success is based on years of innovative thinking and exploring numerous ways to enhance the program. Our team’s focus has always been to help safeguard the health of our customers. As a result, we determined that success was only possible by ensuring homeowner buy-in through a more cost-effective and seamless method of replacing lead service lines,” says Cathie O’Toole, General Manager of Halifax Water.
Due to shared ownership and responsibility for service lines between the homeowner and the utility, earlier approaches, including rebates, loans and simplification of the construction process, have fallen short. The Get the Lead Out program addresses these shortfalls by covering the total cost of that replacement. Customers are also still able to take part in a rebate program if they decide to pay to replace their own lead service line.
Learn more about the Get the Lead Program here.
To learn more about this award and other award recipients, visit https://watersummit.ca/2022-winners/