The territorial government said on Saturday it had significant concerns about its own testing program that identified elevated levels of lead in drinking water at two Yellowknife schools.
In a statement emailed to newsrooms, the GNWT said “initial water testing in schools was not conducted using national best practices for water sampling.”
Tests were carried out without relevant expertise, the territory added, and the results of those tests are not considered reliable.
“The validity of the initial test results – particularly where elevated lead levels were reported – is now in question,” the GNWT stated.
“Although the original intent was to complete testing quickly with available resources, the lack of expert involvement compromised the reliability of both the process and the results.”
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The territory began a pilot program testing the water of more than 40 schools in November last year. Results indicating elevated lead levels at Yellowknife’s Range Lake North School and William McDonald School were first received in January, then results from a second set of samples came back in early April showing the same thing.
The GNWT did not notify parents – nor, apparently, education minister Caitlin Cleveland, according to her remarks this week – until the evening of Monday, May 26.
The territory now says the sampling process was undertaken without in-house expertise specific to water testing and no third-party experts were hired. Internal GNWT water quality experts “were not consulted in advance.”
While the YK1 school district’s superintendent gave interviews on the subject within hours of the results being made public, the NWT government has declined to make any staff member or minister available for interview in the five days since.
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A Thursday request by Cabin Radio to specify when a representative would be made available was not answered.
“The GNWT remains committed to transparency, accuracy, and accountability as we move forward,” the territory stated on Saturday.
“The GNWT is re-testing all school water sources where elevated lead levels were previously reported, using best practices and appropriate methodology.
“Results will be shared as soon as they are received – first with schools and families, and then with the public.”
Review begins, specifics unclear
Cleveland said earlier this week she had ordered an external review of the lead tests and the way the situation had been handled.
The GNWT said on Saturday a “full review” was under way but did not specify who was leading that review or provide any further detail about that process.
“It is important to reiterate that all drinking water provided to NWT residents is regularly treated and tested to ensure it meets Canadian drinking water standards,” the GNWT stated.
The City of Yellowknife has not indicated any broader issue with its water, and the territorial government has suggested pipes and water distribution systems within the affected schools would be likely sources of contamination if elevated lead levels are confirmed.
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“The GNWT acknowledges the concern this situation has caused,” the territory added.
“While the original intent of this project was to help confirm the safety of school drinking water, the issues identified in the testing process are now enabling clearer steps to ensure water quality and, if necessary, corrective action.”
In all, 44 schools received tests through the pilot program. Whether all 44 will ultimately have new tests carried out, given the GNWT’s concerns about the tests’ reliability, is not yet clear.
Two more schools – Angik School in Paulatuk and JB Tyrrell in Fort Smith – were “in the process of being tested,” the Department of Education, Culture and Employment stated on Wednesday.
Three schools – Įtłʼǫ̀ School in Yellowknife, Chief Albert Wright School in Tulita and Chief T’Selehye School in Fort Good Hope – did not receive tests through the pilot program as those schools were built within the past 20 years and considered too new to require it.
Lead contamination is considered an issue primarily in buildings with older pipes and fittings, as construction standards have changed over time.
