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XX February 2010 Water Quality Assurance Procedures

Testing • A comprehensive inventory of drinking taps and faucets is maintained for all schools.

Testing for lead in water sources takes place annually in ALL Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board schools.

To ensure the highest standards of testing, Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board has retained the services of expert inspectors from Stantec.

Water samples are tested in professional and accredited laboratories annually according to provincial water testing standards and in accordance with the Safe Drinking Water Act. O. Reg 243/07.

If and when quality issues are identified, an immediate investigation is conducted, and corrective measures are undertaken to ensure water quality levels are returned to provincial standard.

Communication

Standardized and consistent signage is posted in both English and French at all school water sources to indicate whether the water may be used for drinking or handwashing only. Signage samples are provided as follows:

All students are educated about the signage and how it should be followed for safe water consumption.

• If and when water quality issues are identified, Principals and teachers of the school are immediately notified.

• Stantec, Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board and School Principals are engaged collaboratively on root cause analysis, problem-solving, corrective actions and ongoing monitoring.

• Parents are notified when lead levels in exceedance of Ontario regulations are detected and reported in their child’s classroom.

Annual water test results are made available for public information by Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board.

Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board follows all mandatory notification procedures to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Education and Public Health Unit.

Corrective Actions

• When water quality exceedances are identified, Thunder Bay Catholic District School implements the required corrective actions immediately to ensure a safe supply of water.

Maintenance

Key regulatory information is provided to all stakeholders as required and updated on an annual basis.

All drinking water taps and fountains that are required to be sampled and flushed are inventoried every year.

Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board validates annually that every drinking water tap and fountain has been sampled according to requirements.

All relevant documentation related to sample results and exceedances is recorded and maintained.

Corrective actions taken at drinking water fixtures are tracked and recorded.

A record of regular sampling and flushing activities is kept up to date.

• Based on the severity of the water quality results, standard corrective actions may include mandatory daily flushing, closing the water source for usage until the issue is resolved, and replacing or upgrading the water fixture.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which taps must be sampled in schools? A: All ‘drinking water fixtures’. A “drinking water fixture” refers to every drinking water fountain and every tap that is used to provide drinking water or to prepare food and/or drink for children under 18 years of age.

2. Are previous samples counted? If a facility has the appropriate sampling records that show a specific location has been sampled under O. Reg. 243/07 already then, that fixture can be counted as done.

3. Can all taps be tested for lead this year? Yes. There is no provision in the regulation that prevents facilities from sampling all applicable fixtures this year. For child care centres and any school that has kids in the ‘primary division’ (gr 3 or younger) they have to sample at least 1/3 of their drinking water fixtures, that’s a minimum, not a target.

4. What does the 1/3 sampling size refer to? The requirement is 1/3 of the drinking water fixtures that do not have existing sampling records in each facility. The requirement is not for a school board to sample all of the taps in 1/3 of their schools. Each facility is measured separately, including the co-located child care centres within schools. This mean 1/3 of all drinking water fixtures at all locations.

5. Is it mandatory for schools to post signage? 2 types of signs have been developed, printed and laminated by MOECC. They are available for facilities to order through Publications Ontario. Neither are mandatory, there are no expectations on type or frequency of usage, the facilities are free to use them as a resource as they deem necessary.

6. Do child care centres located in a school have the same requirements? Yes. The regulation applies to operators of all child care centres. You are required to meet all the requirements of the amended regulation. The operator of the school within which you are located MAY offer to conduct your sampling and/or flushing but are not required to. Have this discussion with them.

7. What does the minimum level of corrective action mean? It means making the fixture that produced the flushed exceedance inaccessible to children until the lead issue at the fixture has been resolved. This is required in all situations, unless the facility is instructed by the Public Health Unit that they can continue to use the fixture for handwashing/sanitation purposes if necessary.

8. Where can I find the water test results for a specific school? The annual results of water testing in Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board facilities are posted on our website at: https://www. tbcschools.ca/parents/drinkingwater.

9. What if I still have questions as an educator about water quality issues in my school? If you are an educator with questions or concerns related to water quality in your school please contact the Plant department at Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board.

10.What if I still have questions as a parent about water quality issues in my child’s school? Parents of children attending any school within the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board are invited to contact the Principal with their questions or concerns.

Other Useful Resources

• Health Canada – Lead and Human Health:

www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/contaminants/lead-plomb/asked_questions-questions_ posees_e.html.

• Drinking Water:

www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/environmental-workplace-health/waterquality/drinking-water.html

• Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change – Drinking Water Information:

www.ontario.ca/drinkingwater

• Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change Public Information Centre:

1-800-565-4923.

• World Health Organization:

www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs379/en/

• Centres for Disease Control and Prevention:

www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/

“Lead exposure can affect nearly every system in the body.”