Water in schools safe, board officials assure
Repeated water testing in more than a dozen local schools turned up lead levels exceeding the new national guidelines in recent years, according to a Canada-wide school database posted online, but officials at both the local public and Catholic school boards say the water at all of their schools is safe.
“We’re in the business of taking care of kids — we’re not putting them at risk,” said Michael Nasello, education director for the Peterborough, Victoria, Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board.
Meanwhile, Peterborough Utilities says all lead pipes within the municipal water distribution system, up to private property lines, were replaced 30 years ago.
Patricia Skopelianos, the quality assurance manager for Peterborough Utilities Group, said Tuesday that homes and buildings dating from before the 1980s could potentially have lead pipes in their internal plumbing systems.
If homeowners are concerned, she said, they can contact PUG for an appointment for water testing. But water leaves the treatment plant and travels down city watermains lead-free.
“You have to be clear where the issue is,” she said.
A new investigation published on Tuesday by the Toronto Star revealed that hundreds of thousands of Canadians are consuming tap water laced with lead leaching from aging infrastructure.
The investigation was carried out by more than 120 journalists from nine universities and 10 media outlets, including the Star.
Out of 12,000 tests since 2014, the Star reported, one third — 33 per cent — exceeded the national safety guideline of 5 parts per billion.
What’s more, the Star posted an online database listing schools and daycares Canadawide that were shown to have exceeded that level of lead in drinking water over those years.
The Star’s database showed lead levels higher than recommended under federal guidelines at Peterborough and area schools, including:
Public elementary schools
Queen Mary, King George, Prince of Wales, Lakefield District, Millbrook South Cavan
Catholic elementary schools
St. Paul School, St. Alphonsus School, St. John School
Public high schools
Thomas A. Stewart, Norwood District High School, Adam Scott Collegiate, Kenner Collegiate, Crestwood, St. Peter’s, PACE at PCVS
Daycares
The former PCVS (which now houses Pearson Day Care and the School for Young Moms)
But Nasello said water at the Catholic board’s schools is safe.
Much of the testing in Peterborough and area schools reported by the Star took place in 2017, he notes, at a time when the national guideline for acceptable levels of lead in water was 10 parts per billion — now that acceptable threshold is 5 parts per billion.
Nasello also points out that the latest water sampling, conducted in July, is clean.
Diane Lloyd, chair of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, said Tuesday night that it also posts test results on its website for maximum transparency.