Is the water at local schools safe? That’s what the Rainy River District School Board is trying to determine following the discovery of high levels of lead at a Thunder Bay school.
Murray Quinn, superintendent of plant and maintenance, said Tuesday the board has been keeping a close eye on the water quality of six schools serviced by wells.
Alberton Central, Crossroads, McCrosson-Tovell, Nestor Falls, Sturgeon Creek, and the Sturgeon Creek Alternative Program have their water tested weekly as required by provincial regulations.
Quinn added that on a five-year basis, the board is required to test for larger number of chemicals, including lead and pesticides.
“We’ve done that five-year test and at all schools [with wells], the lead was well below acceptable levels,” he remarked.
For schools that rely on a municipal water supply, such as those here in Fort Frances, it is up to town authorities to test the water for all of their residents.
“They don’t check lead on a regular basis and when they do, they only spot check,” Quinn noted.
But because lead levels three times above acceptable levels were found at a Thunder Bay school serviced by municipal water after Grade 7 student Joe Frenette tested the water for a science fair project, the local public school board has decided to test lead levels at all its schools.
Quinn said Enviro-Test, a certified lab in Thunder Bay, has been hired to test all school facilities on municipal water for lead levels. The results are expected in the next week to 10 days.
“To reduce those levels, we’ve asked the schools to continue a flushing policy every morning,” Quinn said, explaining that flushing toilets can lower lead concentrations in the water.
The school board also is drafting a safe water policy that will be presented to trustees at a later date.
Quinn said higher than recommended lead levels weren’t just a concern for schools.
“Any older house in the community itself can have lead in soldered joints,” he warned. “Flushing can lower lead concentrations in the water.”
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