MONTREAL -- Some Montrealers may be eligible for free filtered water pitchers and a year's supply of replacement filters because of possible lead contamination.
Flyers distributed to some homes alerted Montrealers that their homes were tested to see if the municipal water supply line was made of lead. The flyers invited residents to apply for the free pitcher on a city website.
A Canada-wide investigation conducted last year found that some parts of Montreal had extremely high levels of lead in the drinking water. The investigation found that 300,000 Montrealers may have been exposed to lead.
At the time, Mayor Valerie Plante promised to test 100,000 homes for lead and to speed up the replacement of lead-lined pipes. City officials stressed that the city's drinking water was safe and that contamination was because of outdated pipes in some homes.
On the city's website, instructions are available on how to check whether a water service entrance is made of lead.
On Tuesday, the provincial government announced $30 million in funding to upgrade Montreal's water infrastructure.
