As school district officials plan to try an automated flushing system in their latest attempt to deal with the persistently high lead levels in water at Rossland Secondary School, trustees are looking at calling in an outside consultant.
“I think it’s time to bring somebody in who’s a water-quality expert,” trustee Mark Wilson said at Monday night’s school board meeting.
At that meeting, trustees also heard that district staff plans to test an automatic flushing system in school drinking fountains to see if it helps reduce the level of lead coming out of the taps.
While the problem has not been pinpointed, it is believed that lead solder from old pipe connections is leaching into the school’s water.
The latest tests again showed quantities of the heavy metal that are above Health Canada’s safety guidelines, said Heather Simm, assistant director of operations with School District 20.
Wilson said it’s “frustrating” that the situation remains unresolved and called for outside help. Trustees then approved a motion directing staff to find out how much it would cost to hire a water-quality expert to address the problem.