아래는 Regina Leader-Post의 4월 24일자 기사입니다.
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시의회는 리자니아 가정에 식수를 공급하는 석면시멘트 배관의 신속한 교체 작업을 위해 정보 보고서를 행정부에 요청하였습니다.
Shanon Zachidniak 시의원은 이번주, 향후 5년간 매년 10, 15~20 키로미터의 배관을 교체하기 위한 예산과 자원이 어느 정도인지를 묻는 동의안을 제출하였습니다.
지금 시의 목표는 매년 10키로미터의 석면배관을 교체하는 것이 목표인데, 실제는 7~9키로미터만 할 수 있으며, 대략 581키로미터의 석면배관이 있는데 이대로라면 전부 교체하는데 50~60년이 소요된다라고 말합니다.
(생략)
캐나다 보건당국(리자이나 수질 지침 준용)은 현재 식수 내 석면을 규제하지는 않으며 식수를 통해 섭취된 석면이 해롭다는 명확한 근거는 없다고 합니다.
리자이나도 2016년부터 매년 식수에 대해 조사를 하고 있지만 석면이 검출되지 않았으며, 이 결과를 시 홈페이지에 게시한다고 합니다.
(이하 생략)
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City council has requested an informational report from administration on hastening the replacement of asbestos-cement-lined pipes that deliver drinking water to Regina households.
Ward 8 Coun. Shanon Zachidniak presented a motion this week asking what kind of budget and resources would be needed to expedite the replacement of 10, 15 or 20 kilometres of asbestos-cement (AC) pipes every year over the next five years.
Right now, the city’s target is to replace 10 kilometres of AC water mains per year. However, it has only managed about seven to nine kilometres annually, she said.
It’s expected to take around 50-60 years to complete the entire project, which includes approximately 581 kilometres of AC pipes.
Crews began rehabilitating some of those pipes in 2010 with a cured-in-place renewal method that involves installing a liner inside the pipe, thus extending its overall lifespan, according to an email from a city spokesperson.
Through this approach, the city says it’s able to rehabilitate approximately five-to-six kilometres of pipe each year. In addition, the city has been replacing about two kilometres of water mains each year with an open-cut method.
Since 2010, roughly 70 kilometres of AC pipes have been renewed, according to the city, with an additional 8.7 kilometres scheduled for 2026.
As Zachidniak explained to fellow councillors, AC pipes make up approximately 60 per cent of the city’s 1,000-or-so kilometres of water mains. They also account for most of the water main breaks that happen every year.
“We know we’re spending a lot of money on emergency repairs for asbestos-cement pipes, and that is my concern,” Zachidniak said. “If we could save on repairs and invest that in expediting replacements, that seems like a better use of our money to me.”
City council voted unanimously in favour of commissioning the report, which is expected to come back in the fall.
Local advocate Julian Branch spoke in favour of accelerating the AC pipe replacement, noting there are potential health risks of asbestos contamination when water mains break.
Branch said more than 2,470 AC pipes broke in Regina between 2010 and 2022, according to the city’s own reports.
“It’s the most common type of pipe that breaks in the City of Regina,” he said. “We can expect more of this as the pipes continue to age, deteriorate and break. We can no longer afford to ignore this issue.”
Health Canada — on which Regina relies for water quality guidelines — does not currently regulate asbestos in drinking water. It says there’s “no consistent, convincing evidence that asbestos ingested through drinking water is harmful.”
Regina has also tested its drinking water annually since 2016 and found no notable traces of asbestos in the samples, according to results posted on the city’s website.
The national public health agency is in the middle of a policy review on the matter. Branch questioned whether the city would be prepared to swallow the sudden cost of removing the AC pipes sooner if Health Canada does change its stance on the risk.
In the 2014 utility budget, the city estimated it would cost $300 million to replace Regina’s entire water main system.
A review of what funding may be available from provincial or federal programs, or from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, is to be included in the coming report.
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Regina city council asks about speeding up asbestos pipe replacement 
