On Thursday evening, testing results were announced for two more schools in the territory with one school site showing elevated levels of lead in water. Since comprehensive testing of schools across the N.W.T. began this fall, 31 school sites out of 38 announced to date have tested positive for elevated levels of lead. Two officials from the department of Infrastructure said the N.W.T. plans to look at testing more public buildings including health care centres and hospitals, once school testing is completed.
A message from the GNWT confirmed that samples from water taps at Chief Julius School in Fort McPherson had lead levels above Canadian drinking water guidelines.
Officials say testing at the Community Learning Centre in Ndılǫ (a newly built school) showed lead levels within the guidelines.
Earlier this month, testing at eight school building sites in the N.W.T. showed elevated levels of lead present in water samples taken from some drinking taps. Some of the water samples at schools also showed elevated copper levels.
The territorial government reported that the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer issued a Public Health Order for the school on Thursday.
A message from GNWT read that taps at the school are officially “out of service with alternative drinking water provided “where it is not already in place.”
According to the message, the territory is currently working to identify and implement remediation measures for the affected water fixtures at both schools.
The plan outlines follow-up testing will be conducted once corrective measures are complete. Follow up testing will be used to assess whether the water meets Canada’s drinking water guidelines, read the GNWT’s message.
Officials said the use of the affected fixtures can only resume once new safety systems are in place and testing confirms the water meets health standards.
Celeste MacKay, Assistant Deputy Minister, Asset Management and Robin Ferguson, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister at the Department of Infrastructure said the GNWT plans to look at testing more public buildings once school testing is completed.
MacKay and Ferguson said consideration includes hospitals and health care centres along with other public facilities which have not been tested to date. MacKay provided an update this week.
“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,” said MacKay.
“No timelines have been set for when testing in other facilities may begin,” added MacKay.
With the majority of school sites showing elevated levels of lead, the GNWT said this has to do with plumbing infrastructure.
“In NWT context, the primary source of lead in school drinking water is understood to be plumbing in the buildings including brass fixtures (pre-2014) and older pipe solder (pre-1990). Certified low-lead plumbing fixtures came into effect in Canada in 2014, requiring brass fitting to have a weighted average of no more than 0.25% lead content for drinking water systems. Older materials were allowed up to 8% lead content,” said MacKay.
“Pipe solder containing lead was officially banned in 1986, but published in the 1990 National Plumbing Code. This provided time to ensure stock was removed from the supply chain. Pipe solder may still contain 0.2% lead content, and under certain conditions, could result in lead leaching,” added MacKay.
MacKay said that water from the water treatment plants has not shown “any exceedance” in lead levels for any of the communities in the N.W.T. MacKay said the water treatment plants in communities across the N.W.T. are tested annually and were tested in tandem with the school sites.
“During school water testing, samples of water representative of municipal supply are taken, and have so far indicated no lead.”
