Northern Health outlines its role when it comes to regulating water quality

The recent report outlining the discovery of lead in the water of some of Prince Rupert's schools has put the topic of water quality into the spotlight this week and yesterday Northern Health sought to clarify it's role in the entire process.

In a media release from Thursday, the local health agency provided some background as to the steps it takes and when it takes them, when it comes to monitoring the regions water supply.

The Health Authority noting that they work with municipalities and school districts to complete the testing of water, but that it is the responsibility of both of those bodies ensure the safety of water if there are concerns or issues.

As for the recent work with the School District, Northern Health outlined their participation in the overview of the water issues at the four schools in question.

In the case of the water testing in Prince Rupert, we took a proactive approach in working with School District No. 52 to test the water, which led to immediate mitigation work on the part of the school district.

They also noted that they will be reaching out to all municipalities and school districts where water quality could be a concern, asking for their water quality measurements to assess.

You can review the full media release from Northern Health here.

On Wednesday, Dr. Raina Fumerton outlined for CBC Daybreak North what level of risk that the situation at the local schools presents, as well as to further expand on the nature of the measures that have been taken by the School District.

You can hear that interview here.

More items related to the School District 52 water situation can be found from our Education archive page.