This is a beautiful thing: a new 3/4" type K-copper tube has been installed from the house to the property line.  (Of the various copper tube types, Type K has the thickest walls and is the most durable for use underground.)

And the City has confirmed that they have scheduled the replacement of the "public" portion in the coming weeks.  Hooray!  Time for some gratitude:

A big Thank You to the City of Brockville for helping us get this done before the snows!

Thank You to every contractor that advised, provided a quote, or did the installation. 

Thanks to our local landscape depot for making a trailer available, bringing sand and taking unwanted rocks.

And a huge Thank You! - to all of our family, friends, and neighbours who offered their time and effort, tools, advice, use of water, and general sympathy. 

And thanks, of course, to everyone who read or signed the petition to raise awareness of the need to replace lead water service pipes in Canada.

We have had our new copper service line (the "private" portion) installed this week, over a 6-inch bed of sand, after doing some quick masonry repairs and installing some ABS sleeves at wall penetrations.  This included some new valves and connections for an optional whole-house filter in the basement.  A sheet of 2-inch SM foam was added at our exterior steps/landing where the full depth for frost-protection was difficult to achieve due to some stubborn bedrock.  The City expedited the inspection so that we could start back-filling our trench with another 6-inches of sand followed by the soil that had been removed and piled on our yard along with a massive pile of separated stones.  And we made provision for a small time-capsule to commemorate our accomplishment as we fill in the pit.  Of rock and stone, the story doesn't end there - we continue to pick and screen.  At least 2 cubic yards of stones has already been hauled away to make it easier on the next crew that has to "man the shovels", hopefully never again in this century!  (Just paying it forward.)  The remainder will be used in landscaping next Spring. 

This has been an extremely laborious affair that first saw shovels in the ground about six weeks ago.  It was never our intent to do the excavation manually.  That only developed out of a combination of: our lot being tricky to excavate with machinery, the significant expense of contracting it out, and the pressing time-constraint impending winter.  This is a big and/or expensive job for a home-owner, even in a less-complicated layout.  But Lead Service Lines are also a big and expensive problem overall for municipalities.

My next update will hopefully mark our re-connection to the City main.  I will share some more resources and compare some different municipal approaches to the problem.  Meanwhile, check out some great on the "johntheplumber" website; look for "Everything Homeowners Need To Know About Lead Pipes: The Hidden Risks Of Older Homes"

Cheers