“This change in water supply and/or water pressure exposed water pipes, appliances, and equipment to that distinct chemistry, causing widespread failure,” the litigants allege on their class-action website. The changeover, the litigants claim, has hit their pocketbooks hard. The class action lawsuit alleges that the City was negligent when it changed the water supply and exposed West Saint John property owners’ pipes to damage such as mineral descaling.

In a backgrounder on the issue, a CBCL consultant’s report states that from a treatment standpoint, “the groundwater source has a substantial decrease in colour and organic matter compared to the Spruce Lake supply, and an increase in mineral content.” Based on water quality parameters from the new wellfield, the report states that neither corrosion inhibitors nor pH adjustment were a part of the new system, only chlorine treatment.

Officials say they switched the water source from Spruce Lake to the South Bay Wellfield, which consists of three groundwater wells commissioned over 2013- 2014. The City changed the water source in order to meet Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality and protect against waterborne disease.

Shortly after the water source change, approximately 4% of the 5,400 West Saint John customers reported leaking pipes, water damage and failed water heaters within a three to four-week period. A New Brunswick court in Saint John has approved a class-action lawsuit that allows residents of West Saint John to challenge the City in court over the fallout from a 2017 water source change that they say caused unexpected corrosion and leaking in copper pipes.

Fallout 3 leaking pipes