VSB Water Testing Results 2016

Feb 7, 2023

In 2016, VSB worked with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) to conduct water quality tests. VSB has completed testing of 254 water outlets at 87 of its 110 schools. Samples were taken at schools built before 1990, when the use of lead solder in pipes was restricted in the BC plumbing code.

With the 2016 testing, first samples showed 94 per cent of results came in well within acceptable levels of lead for safe drinking water. At 12 drinking fountains, where initial samples tested at or above the acceptable level, retests after water was run until cold showed all samples tested within acceptable levels for safe drinking water. VSB protocols require building engineers to flush drinking fountains every day.

Certified lab data of all VSB’s results of water tests 2016

All first samples were taken from either drinking fountains (DF), water bottle filling stations (FS), staffroom or kitchen sinks (SINK), or 'bubbler' (BU - drinking fountain accessory attached to a sink tap) within 5 seconds of initiating flow. Each sample was collected in 250 ml plastic bottles, temperature controlled and delivered on the day collected to an independent lab, ALS Laboratory Group in Burnaby.

All retesting samples were collected in three stages. Sample 1 was taken within five seconds of turning on the water. Sample 2 is after one minute of flow and Sample 3 is after two minutes of flow.

The certified results are reported in milligrams per liter (mg/L). The current Canadian guideline for lead in drinking water is a maximum acceptable concentration of 0.010 mg/L (10 parts per billion) in drinking water. Where results were above 0.01 mg/L lead result and then retested, after flushing, results were below 0.01 mg/L.