After almost six weeks of not being able to drink well water, students and staff at the Sturgeon Creek Annex in Stratton soon should be able to do so again.
But this time, the problem wasn’t bacteria.
“They pumped the well dry while flooding the rink. And things get agitated when the water gets right down to the bottom–it gets a little murky,” principal Jerry O’Leary noted Monday morning.
On the first day of school after the Christmas break, vice-principal Kendall Olsen noted the water has cleared up over the past two weeks, and should be potable once again now the school is certain the water is safe.
“I just called the Northwestern Health Unit and told them we’ve had no negative samples come back,” Olsen said. “We’re just trying to be sure the water is okay before we say you can drink it.
“We haven’t flooded the rink for six weeks. I think the murkiness is gone,” he added.
Warning signs advised people not to drink the water at the school when the well water became visibly polluted, and students and staff have been since drinking reserves of bottled water.
The school had problems with coliform bacteria in its water for several weeks in late September. But the problem cleared up shortly after a chlorination system was installed.
Coliform can cause severe ’flu-like symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
O’Leary noted the school has been testing its water on a regular basis, and has had no problems with bacteria since.
The Rainy River District School Board not only has dictated testing be done more frequently at all its schools with well water systems since September, but also ensured such schools be stocked with reserve water supplies in case of any emergencies.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
