Lead Pipe Replacement Ottawaby KCE Construction, since 1981
613-225-1333 Book a free check

Your water may be running through a lead pipe.

Ottawa homes built before 1955 were often connected with lead. You can't see it, taste it or smell it. We'll check yours for free.

4.9 on Google, 43 reviews

Check your street

Type your address. We'll check your street against City records of old water mains.

Book a free check. A quick look at your meter. No cost.

We only call or email to book your free check. No sales calls.

Not ready to book? Email a photo of the pipe at your water meter to info@leadpipeottawa.ca and we'll tell you what it looks like.

We call within 1 business day. Your details go to KCE Construction only.

Rocky Galla

I'm Rocky Galla. I run KCE. If your pipe is lead, we'll tell you. If it isn't, we'll tell you that too.

  • Free check. A quick look at your meter.
  • New copper from the City main to your meter. One dig.
  • Fixed price in writing. No surprises.
  • Replaced by KCE's own crews, in Ottawa since 1981.
Ottawa since 1981Sewer and water is all we do
City of Ottawa standing offerSewer lateral and lead pipe work
Our own crewsOur people, our equipment
Free check, fixed priceNo obligation

Ottawa's old water mains

Each amber line is a public water main from 1955 or earlier. Homes connected in those years were often connected with lead. Dashed lines are cast iron mains with no install year on file. All from City of Ottawa records.

Map of Ottawa's old public water mains The old mains run through the city core, where the oldest date from the 1870s to the 1900s, and through a wide ring of neighbourhoods built in the early 1950s. Use the street checker at the top of the page, or the full list below the map, to look up a street.

Loading the map

633Ottawa streets with an old public water main. Most date to 1955 or earlier. 50 have no install year on file.

  • Before 1900
  • 1900 to 1929
  • 1930 to 1955
  • No year on file

Point at a street, or tap it, to see its year.

Check your street
See all the streets

Source: City of Ottawa public GIS (water mains, road centrelines, waterbodies and neighbourhood boundaries), October 2026. The list covers public water mains installed in 1955 or earlier, plus cast iron mains with no install year on file. Transmission mains 406 mm and larger are left out. Each main is matched to the nearest street. Main age is a guide, not proof of lead.

There is no known safe level of lead.

Ottawa's water leaves the plant lead-free. If the pipe into your house is lead, your water can pick it up on those last few metres. Every glass. Every day.

Children

  • Lower IQ and trouble learning
  • Shorter attention span
  • Behaviour problems
  • The damage can be permanent

Pregnancy

  • Lead crosses the placenta to the baby
  • Linked to premature birth
  • Linked to low birth weight
  • Lead stored in bone can be released during pregnancy

Adults

  • Higher blood pressure
  • Kidney damage
  • Builds up in the body over years

You can't detect itLead has no colour, taste or smell in water.

Boiling doesn't helpBoiling does not remove lead. It can concentrate it.

One lasting fixFilters and flushing help for now. Replacing lead pipe is what lasts.

Sources: Health Canada, which sets the drinking water limit at 0.005 mg/L and says to keep lead as low as possible, and the World Health Organization.

Find out if you have leadFree. A quick look at your meter.

Check your own pipe in two minutes

Go to your water meter, usually in the basement. Look at the pipe coming up from the floor or through the wall, below the meter. Then try three things: look at the colour, hold a fridge magnet to it, and gently scratch it with a coin.

Lead

Colour
Dull grey
Magnet
Won't stick
Scratch
Soft. Shows shiny silver.

Often thicker, with a bulge where it joins the fitting.

Looks like this? Book a free check

Copper

Colour
Brown like a penny, can be green
Magnet
Won't stick
Scratch
Shows bright copper

Thinner, with a brass nut at the joint.

Galvanized steel

Colour
Grey, often rusty at joints
Magnet
Sticks
Scratch
Hard. Barely marks.

Threaded joints. Old, but not lead.

Plastic

Colour
Black or blue
Magnet
Won't stick
Scratch
Soft plastic

Usually a newer service.

Drawings for reference. Real pipes vary, and some houses have more than one type.

Not sure? We'll check it free

Lead out. Copper in.

Same meter, before and after, on one of our Ottawa jobs. The grey pipe is lead. Drag the handle to compare.

  • The grey lead pipe running along the floor is gone.
  • New copper from the wall to the meter.
  • Same meter, same basement wall.
Book a free checkFind out what's at your meter.
After: new copper pipe and brass fittings at a basement water meter
Before: the old grey lead water service pipe at the same meter

What customers say

  • “KCE replaced a leaking water service pipe to our home. Very impressed. Excellent work, good communication and reasonable pricing.”

    Google review

  • “They made what would otherwise be a trying experience straight-forward and stress-free.”

    Google review

  • “The City of Ottawa recommended KCE to replace the sewer at my house. Very professional crew.”

    Google review

New copper from the main to your meter

One pipe brings water from the City main under the street to the meter in your basement. The City owns part of it. You own the rest. We replace both sides with new copper.

Water service from the City main to your meter Cutaway drawing of a house, its front yard and the street. One water service pipe runs from the City water main under the street, through the shut-off at the property line, then through the basement wall to the water meter, and on up to your tap. The City owns the pipe from the main to the property line. You own it from the property line to the meter. The sewer lateral runs below it, from the house to the City sewer under the street. Property line Your side You own it New copper to your meter City's side The City owns it New copper here too If it's lead, water sitting in it can pick up lead New copper, main to meter Shut-off at the property line City water main under the street Basement Water meter Your tap Sewer lateral City sewer Water service from the City main to your meter Cutaway drawing of a house, its front yard and the street. One water service pipe runs from the City water main under the street, through the shut-off at the property line, then through the basement wall to the water meter, and on up to your tap. The City owns the pipe from the main to the property line. You own it from the property line to the meter. The sewer lateral runs below it, from the house to the City sewer under the street. Property line Your side You own it New copper City's side City owns it New copper If it's lead, water sitting in it can pick up lead New copper, main to meter Shut-off at the property line City water main Basement Water meter Your tap Sewer lateral City sewer

Water leaves the plant lead-free. If your service pipe is lead, water that sits in it can pick up lead on its way to your tap.

Your side

From the shut-off at the property line to your meter. You own it. We replace it with new copper, right into the house.

The City's side

From the main to the property line. The City owns it. We replace this part too, so the new copper runs from the main all the way to your meter.

How it works

  1. Free check

    We come to the house and take a quick look at the pipe at your meter. You get a straight answer.

  2. Fixed price

    You get a written quote within 2 business days. One number. No surprises.

  3. Dig day

    Our own crew does the work. We call in the locates and handle the permits. Most jobs take 1 to 2 days.

  4. Put it back

    We backfill, restore what the quote covers, and show you how to flush your lines.

Start with step 1It costs nothing to find out.

While the trench is open, fix the sewer too

Your sewer line usually went in at the same time as your water service, right beside it. In older homes it's often clay.

  • We run a camera down your sewer line and show you the video.
  • If it's cracked, sagging or full of roots, we price a replacement in the same dig.
  • One excavation. One restoration. Less cost than doing them years apart.
  • If it's fine, we tell you it's fine.
Ask about a sewer camera inspection

Who's doing the work

Lead Pipe Replacement Ottawa is run by KCE Construction. We're an Ottawa sewer and water contractor. This is what we do every day.

1981

Working under Ottawa streets since then.

Recent lead line replacements: Bower St, Hinton Ave S, Cameron Ave, Gilmour St, Genest St.

City work

We hold a City of Ottawa standing offer for sewer lateral and lead pipe work, and build water and sewer mains for the City.

Our crews

Our own people and equipment on your job.

KCE crew fitting a new blue water main in a trench
New water main going in.
KCE crew member guiding a steel trench plate under an excavator bucket on a residential street
Trench box on a residential street.
KCE excavator operator in the cab
Our own operators.

Questions people ask

How do I know if I have a lead pipe?

If your house was built before 1955, it may. Many Ottawa homes from that era were connected with lead. Check the pipe at your meter: dull grey, a magnet won't stick, and a coin scratch shows shiny silver. Or book a free check and we'll look.

What does it cost?

Every house is different. It depends on the length and depth of the pipe and what's in the way. We look at your property first, then give you a fixed price in writing before any work starts. The check and the quote are free. The City may cover the cost of replacing its side.

How long does it take?

Most jobs are done in 1 to 2 days. Both sides of the pipe are replaced in one dig.

What about the City's side of the pipe?

We replace it too. The City owns the pipe from the main to your property line. We replace that part as well, in the same dig, so your new water service is copper all the way from the City main to your meter. The City may cover the cost of replacing its side.

What happens to my yard?

We have to dig, so there's some disruption along the line of the pipe. Your quote spells out exactly what we restore. Gardens, decks, steps and interior finishes in the way are priced separately, up front.

Should I do the sewer at the same time?

Only if it needs it. A camera inspection tells you. If the sewer line is in bad shape, doing both in one trench saves a second dig later.

Do you work in winter?

Yes. We dig all year round. Book now and we can usually be there within a few weeks.

Find out what's in your water line.

A quick look at your meter. A straight answer. No cost and no obligation.

Rather talk?
613-225-1333

Book a free check

4.9 on Google, 43 reviews

We call within 1 business day to set a time.

We only call or email to book your free check. No sales calls.

Not ready to book? Email a photo of the pipe at your water meter to info@leadpipeottawa.ca and we'll tell you what it looks like.

Your details go to KCE Construction only.

Call Book a free check