Newfoundland students get bottled water after well near cemetery raises concerns
Students in Newfoundland are drinking bottled water amid concerns about how close their high school’s well is to an adjacent graveyard.
They attend Mobile Central High School, about a 40-minute drive south of St. John’s. It opened in 2008 right next to a cemetery that has been there since the late 1800s.
“There’s signs all over the school saying: Do Not Drink the Water,” said one student who took photos of brown water Wednesday as it ran from a washroom tap.
“We’re not allowed to drink any water. All of our taps are closed off.”
The student spoke on condition of anonymity about what has become a sensitive topic in the small community.
One parent estimates the well is within about 10 metres of the closest graves, which are on the other side of a retaining wall, but a school board spokesman said it is about 40 metres from the closest grave.
Education Minister Dale Kirby said Friday it’s not unusual for well water to run brown for a time after less use during summer months. He said it has been tested and is safe to drink.
Still, notices are up in the school as the analysis done in recent weeks by provincial Service NL staff has not been fully assessed and endorsed by the local health authority, Kirby said.
And he said it’s up to the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District, which initially provided the bottled water, to decide when it’s no longer needed at the Grade 7 to 12 school of about 260 students.