Ottawa among cities with highest quality, safest drinking water in the world: report

Ottawa’s H20 continues to be some of the highest quality and safest drinking water in the world, according to a report received by the city’s Standing Committee on Environmental Protection, Water and Waste Management.

Despite challenges posed by COVID-19, Ottawa residents have been given an uninterrupted supply of tap water throughout the pandemic, the report said.

The annual report on Ottawa’s drinking water quality management system also outlined city efforts to inspect and maintain Ottawa’s drinking water infrastructure, helping to make 2020 the ninth straight year that the city’s drinking water systems have fully conformed to provincial standards.

The city said it also continued efforts to help more homeowners replace lead water pipes.

And although the city’s tap water is lead-free, small amounts of lead can dissolve into water that passes through lead plumbing, the city explained.

So, during 2020, 83 homeowners used the city’s program to replace lead pipes, while the city replaced 274 of its own pipes through watermain rehabilitation.