April 1, 2021
Dear North Vancouver School District Community,
Re:
Water testing results
Since 2016, the North Vancouver School District has been proactively testing drinking water consumption points for lead levels at all enrolling schools, with analysis provided by ALS Laboratories.
All schools have been recently tested in accordance with Ministry of Education guidelines, and test results have been reviewed with Vancouver Coastal Health. I am pleased to advise that all of the test results for lead in water have shown full compliance with Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality at all enrolling schools, with the exception of one fixture at Queensbury Elementary. While this particular fixture's primary function was not as a water consumption point, as a precautionary measure, it was immediately decommissioned.
Lead can have adverse health effects; therefore, it is important to reduce lead levels in drinking water as much as possible. Vancouver Coastal Health recommends mitigation strategies including daily flushing programs and plumbing system retrofits to reduce lead levels in water. To ensure water quality is maintained in all schools, the North Vancouver School District has, as a precaution, included daily flushing of water consumption points as part of the procedures for custodial staff.
The North Vancouver School District has not had active concerns with the drinking water in our schools, and we continue to retrofit our systems to enhance access to lead-free drinking water. In the past two years, the North Vancouver School District has completed a project to provide lead-free drinking sources in all elementary schools. The project scope included the addition of new combination water fountain and bottle-fill stations supplied by lead-free dedicated piping. This work also included the upgrade of older generation water fountains to combination water fountain and bottle-fill stations in our newer elementary schools.
The North Vancouver School District is committed to ensuring our schools are safe and healthy places to learn and work. We work closely with community partners, such as Vancouver Coastal Health, to maintain school safety.
Sincerely,
Mark Pearmain
Superintendent of Schools
