Parents to learn which Vancouver schools had water fountains stopped over lead concerns

Drinking fountains in some Vancouver schools have been turned off over concerns about lead content in the water, and parents will soon find out which ones.

The Vancouver School Board (VSB) detailed the plan in a memo published Wednesday, which also included a draft of a letter to parents informing them of the situation.

In the memo, the VSB explained that all drinking fountains in Vancouver schools meet Health Canada guidelines of fewer than 10 parts per billion (PPB) of lead in water.

However, it said district has now taken additional precautionary steps by permanently closing all fountains that tested between five and 10 PPB.

The VSB voted in September to re-pipe all schools affected by lead concerns, and to replace affected water fountains with water bottle filling stations.

The letters to parents, which are being sent out by week’s end, contain individualized information on the lead status of drinking water at their children’s schools.

Global News could not reach the VSB on Thursday night for details on how many water fountains were taken offline, or where.

READ MORE: Lead in the water: Tens of thousands of Canadian households still have toxic pipes

None of Vancouver’s schools that were built after 1990 are at risk due to modern construction standards that prohibit the use of lead solder.

The information letters came after some controversy at September’s VSB meeting, when the board voted not to immediately inform parents about the lead concerns and remediation plans.

One City trustee Carrie Bercic said she was “disheartened” by the decision to potentially wait until the end of October, after the coming elections.

VSB chair Janet Fraser said the move had nothing to do with election timing, but rather was about obtaining detailed and correct information to parents at each of the city’s 110 schools, all of which were in a different situation.