From the office of Councillor Gord Perks:

Water service replacement on the private side:

The City of Toronto confirms that substandard (defined as being non-copper or less than 19 mm) water services were replaced to property line on Roncesvalles Avenue.  Some of the services included in the installation of curb stops.  Curb stops do not necessarily denote the extent of the new service.  Curb stops in front of many businesses were installed an adequate distance away from the building face to allow for easy access during future maintenance operations.  Where a curb stop was installed short of the property line, a short piece of new pipe was installed from the curb stop to connect to the existing water service at property line.

At the contractor’s discretion some upgrades were made on the private side.  However, property owners are under no obligation to replace their water services on the private side.  Property owners who did not get their private side services replaced by the City contractors during the recent watermain replacement project on Roncesvalles Avenue, but who still wish to do so, are encouraged to undertake the work prior to the start of the road reconfiguration and track reconstruction project in June 2010.

Since private side water service replacements will include excavation on the City side, owners must apply to the City for a Cut Permit.  A copy of the Permit can be obtained through the following link:

http://www.toronto.ca/engineering/mcr/pdf/appendix_k.pdf

Private contractors can be found in the yellow pages under headings such as “drainage contractors” or “plumbing contractors”.

If the work is done prior to June 2010, the property owner will be responsible for temporarily restoring the cut until such time that the cut can be permanently restored as part of the upcoming surface works contract.

Please be advised that once new sidewalks and roads are constructed, they are placed under a 5-year moratorium.  As such, private-side water service work that involves cutting into the new road or sidewalk will not be permitted once the surface works is complete on Roncesvalles Avenue.

An exception will be made if a property owner takes a water sample and the water is found to contain lead limits above the Ministry of Environment’s maximum acceptable limit of 10 ppb (parts per billion).

Information on how a property owner can have lead testing conducted can be found via the following link:

http://www.toronto.ca/water/supply/lead_test.htm

Additional information regarding lead in drinking water can be found on the following City web pages:

http://www.toronto.ca/water/supply/issues.htm

http://www.toronto.ca/health/lead/drinking_water.htm

However, if an exemption is made to the 5-year moratorium and a property owner is allowed to cut the sidewalk / road in order to replace his private-side water service, the property owner will be responsible for the following:

*  The temporary restoration of the cut sidewalk or road, until such time that Transportation Services can undertake the permanent restoration.  Transportation Services may wait for a complete freeze / thaw cycle before permanently restoring the cut, which could be up to a year from the time of the initial cut.  During this time, the property owner must ensure that the temporary restoration is safe for use, i.e. no trip hazards, no excessive settlement, etc.

*  The cost of the permanent restoration will be charged back to the property owner.  To properly match back to the existing road or sidewalk, permanent restoration limits may extend beyond the edges of the cut.  For example, restoring a 1-metre cut in the sidewalk may involve the replacement of 2 – 3 bays of sidewalk, from expansion joint to expansion joint.  The cost to permanently restore a cut may be in the range of $1,000 to $3,000, depending on the extent of the work.

As stated above, it is the property owners’ decision as to whether they want to replace their water services on the private side.  Again, property owners on Roncesvalles Avenue who wish to do so are encouraged to undertake the replacement prior to the City starting the track reconstruction and road reconfiguration in June 2010.