City of Prince Rupert reassures residents on standards of city water supply

The City of Prince Rupert has provided a statement on the standards associated to the city's water supply, part of its response related to yesterday's notice to parents and guardians of students with School District 52.

That letter outlined the concerns and plan of approach that the School District has taken when it comes to the discovery of elevated levels of lead at 4 of the city's schools.

As we outlined on the blog last night, School District 52 reported elevated levels of lead in water found at Conrad, Pineridge, École Roosevelt Park Community School and Prince Rupert Middle School, the School District has since taken measures to address those concerns at the four schools.

In a media release from Wednesday, Mayor Lee Brain provided reassurance to the public when it comes to the city's delivery of potable water to citizens in Prince Rupert, stating that the city's water supply consistently meets Canadian drinking water standards for lead.

“We want to reassure the public that there is NO lead contamination through the delivery of potable water to the citizens of Prince Rupert. We test our water weekly at different locations and Northern Health has confirmed that the municipal water supply is safe to drink,”  ... “I am deeply concerned about this discovery. I can assure you that we will be working with our partners at Northern Health and the School District to look more closely into how this happened, as well as steps we can take to ensure citizens are better informed regarding how to prevent similar issues at home.”

The City also noted that owing to their age, some homes in the community may still have solder and lead pipes in their homes and that it is the responsibility of home owners to take note of the plumbing in their homes. Adding that once the city's water supply reaches a property line it becomes the responsibility of property owners.

Like the School District yesterday, the City reminds residents that If they have any concerns about their home plumbing and any hazards it may pose, that they are urged to have their water tested.

Both organizations have advised the public that Northern Health is offering up a sample kit for residents to fill and return to the Health unit for analysis. The fee for that process is 29 dollars.

Both have also noted that a similar service is offered by Northern Labs on Kaien Road.

You can review the City's statement on the school's water concerns here.