Fort Smith officials said water testing at municipal buildings has confirmed the presence of lead. According to the announcement, water samples at the Town Hall, the Fire Hall, and the Municipal Services Building continue to show elevated levels of lead.
On March 27, town officials announced that water tested from a number of municipal buildings showed elevated levels of lead.
On April 8, officials announced that further testing confirmed the presence of lead.
“Initial test results indicated the presence of lead in water samples at all Town facilities. Follow-up testing has now been completed through an accredited laboratory to confirm these results.”
While the Town Hall, the Fire Hall and the Municipal Services Building water samples continued to show elevated lead levels, other buildings have been cleared for use.
“Water at the Recreation Centre (CRC) and Arena is safe to drink, with the exception of one specific location within the CRC where additional mitigation is being planned. This location will be marked,” read Wednesday’s message by town officials.
Officials said that mitigation plans are being developed, but time ranges for their implementation have not been made public as yet.
“The Town is currently developing and implementing mitigation plans for the affected facilities. In the interim, measures will continue to be in place to reduce any potential risk to staff and visitors.”
According to the message shared on social media on Wednesday afternoon, officials plan to share more updates when more information is available and as mitigation work continues.
Officials advised that anyone who would like more information can contact them by phone at the Town Hall, at 867-872-8400.
It is unclear how many buildings in Fort Smith have been tested to date.
Last month, officials reported that precautionary measures were being taken at sites where testing showed elevated lead with alternative drinking water made available.
On Wednesday and in last month’s announcement, officials reported that the town’s water plant does not contain elevated lead.
“The Town can confirm that there are no issues at the Water Plant, and the water leaving the plant does not contain elevated lead levels.”
Earlier this year, the territorial government announced that testing showed elevated levels of lead at two school sites in Fort Smith. Remediation work began in February and is ongoing. ‘Do Not Consume’ orders remain in place on a total of 10 fixtures and flushing orders for the remaining fixtures affected.
Last year, the GNWT started comprehensive water testing after it was revealed that water at two Yellowknife area schools showed elevated lead levels. With 34 tested school site results announced to date, 28 have tested positive for elevated levels of lead in some of their drinking water fixtures.
In January, testing at a number of city building sites in Yellowknife found elevated lead levels in water, including at city hall.
Acting Assistant Deputy Minister Robin Ferguson from the Department of Infrastructure reported that more public buildings will be tested once school testing is completed.
While a timeline was not identified, Ferguson said the territorial government is planning to review the need for lead testing at hospitals and health care, which have not been tested to date.
“The GNWT will determine the requirement for testing in other GNWT‑owned or occupied facilities, such as health centres, after high-priority school testing is complete.”
“Prioritization testing efforts will continue to be based on factors such as typical age of occupants and use type, the age of the facility, and the potential exposure risk if elevated concentrations of lead are detected,” added Ferguson.
Earlier this year, Chief Environmental Health Officer Chirag Rohit reported that the growing list of active water advisories in the N.W.T. are caused by a host of issues, including aging infrastructure and climate change.
“These are not related to one single issue or one single situation.”
North Now has reached out to town officials for more information and will share those updates when they become available.
