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5 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,N ovem ber 28,2019 insidehalton.com The resolution asks the prov- ince to "put the health and safe- ty of students first and remove all lead pipes and lead-based materials that supply the water service in public educational fa- cilities." It also notes that Halton's drinking water is safe and test- ed annually, with 99.3 per cent of samples found to be in com- pliance with provincial legisla- tion for lead limits in drinking water. "We're asking the province to please be just as diligent at get- ting the lead out of our schools," said Burton. The region, which is respon- sible for water purification throughout the four local mu- nicipalities, has replaced all pipes in the public system that were manufactured with lead and old cast iron water mains. But lead fixtures, including taps and water fountains, were historically used in school plumbing throughout the prov- ince, and many remain in place today as the main culprits of el- evated lead levels in drinking water. In Halton's aging school sys- tem, the Toronto Star investiga- tion revealed that the Halton District School Board had 304 exceedances of lead regulations in the past two years - one of the highest totals among school boards in the province. Board officials say that if ex- ceedances are detected, mea- sures are taken to address the issue, including flushing the lines, installing filters and re- moving the lead-laced fixtures where possible. Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette, who seconded Bur- ton's motion, said the resolu- tion sends an important mes- sage to the province on address- ing the issue as a whole. "We need to have the confi- dence in all of our schools that the lead is out of our pipes," he said. Oakville Coun. Tom Adams shared similar sentiments. "I think it's important to deal with the schools and put pres- sure on those who have the pow- er and responsibility to change it," he said. With lead being a commonly- used building material decades ago, region officials have cau- tioned that there may be lead in the water from pipe fittings and connections in older homes built before 1975. Public works commissioner Jim Harnum told council that since the media coverage of lead in Canada's drinking water be- gan a few weeks ago, Halton has received about 300 calls from residents on the issue, with al- most half of them requesting that the region check their properties for lead pipes. None were found, he reported. The region has also recently been in 14,000 homes for water meter replacement across Hal- ton and didn't find any lead pipes through this process ei- ther, Harnum noted. He said the region will be adding information to its web- site that will help homeowners check their own properties for lead pipes. For more information visit halton.ca or hdsb.ca. NEWS Lead fixtures, including taps and water fountains, were historically used in school plumbing throughout the province, and many remain in place today. Torstar file photo THE ISSUE: LEAD PIPES IN SCHOOLS LOCALLY AND ACROSS ONTARIO LOCAL IMPACT: HALTON COUNCILLORS ARE DEMANDING ACTION TO MAKE DRINKING WATER IN ALL SCHOOLS SAFE STORY BEHIND THE STORY Following a lengthy investigation by the Toronto Star about lead in Canada's drinking water, our newsroom has been following the local reaction, including action by Halton politicians. LEAD MAY BE IN WATER OF PRE-1975 HOMES Continued from front