The Lambton Kent District School Board is working on ways to conserve water and further safeguard its quality at area schools.
Since 2007, the province has required school boards to flush the plumbing, sample and test drinking water for lead content annually, from one location in each school, then report results to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.
Health and Safety officer Connie Ogilvie says as of July 1, amendments to the regulation make it necessary to collect samples at every drinking water fountain and every tap that's used to prepare food or drink.
"Now we have a timeline where we'll be getting every drinking tap sampled by a certain date," says Ogilvie. "So, we'll be doing a third each year, for three years, and then every tap will be sampled."
She says testing isn't required at fixtures not used for drinking water, like bathroom taps and sinks in classrooms.
Instead, signs will be posted in those areas indicating the water is for handwashing only.
Ogilvie says the board is also planning to install bottle filling stations at 25 of its schools by this September -- with the rest to receive one by September 2018.
