Hamilton is replacing lead-lined pipes in up to 800 households annually in an effort to eliminate a backlog of about 20,000 homes across the city.

“We have made progress over the years,” said Andrew Grice, director of water. “(But) our numbers are not reflecting very positively on us.”

Since 2007, when the number of households with lead-lined water pipes was estimated to be about 26,000, the city started a loan program for residents to replace lead-lined pipes on their properties. Over 2,000 loans, which are offered to homeowners with “low interest rates,” have been issued totalling about $3.2 million, said Grice.

The estimated number of 20,000 homes that still have lead pipes is based upon how much of Hamilton’s housing stock was constructed pre-1960s, when using lead for water service lines started to be phased out.