City adding phosphorus to drinking water

Hamilton is adding phosphorus to city drinking water, starting in November.

The move is to control corrosion of any lead pipes in the water system and reduce lead concentration in drinking water.

Orthophosphate, the phosphate-based treatment being used, is effective in stopping corrosion because it forms a thin protective coating on lead surfaces, according to city staff.

It is also safe, Andrew Grice, director of Hamilton water services, told Monday’s public works committee.

“We’re trying to emphasize phosphorus is a natural part of people’s diet,” he said.

On the other hand, consumption of even small amounts of lead is harmful to people’s health, Grice added.

So decreasing lead concentrations in tap water will benefit Hamilton residents, he said.

Orthophosphate is a proven method of reducing lead in drinking water and there is no known adverse effects, Grice told the committee in a presentation on the new corrosion control program.

An average person would need to drink more than 330 glasses of tap water to get the same amount of phosphate that is in one glass of milk, he said.

The city’s lead water line replacement program, meanwhile, will continue.

Grice’s report to the committee also states phosphorus is essential for growth and repair of body cells and tissues.