Water Quality @ UNB
Facilities Management at UNB Fredericton and UNB Saint John have conducted campus-wide water testing initiative for lead because of aging building infrastructure and questions received from students, faculty and staff.
How we tested
As part of the testing, UNB submitted ‘worst-case scenario' water samples to an external laboratory, meaning instead of running the taps for five minutes as recommended by Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality, we chose to take samples without running the taps. We did this because we recognize that students, faculty and staff may drink the water first thing in the morning without letting the water run.
Facilities management on both campuses also took five-minute flush samples from all of the fountains and sinks that exceeded the Health Canada guidelines based on our initial first-grab results. These five minute flush results will help us determine the source of lead in each location. They will also help us prioritize which areas will be repaired first.
What’s being done?
Each campus has received its testing results and have created plans for replacement of infrastructure based on those results. You can learn more about what's being done in Fredericton and Saint John on their campus-specific pages.
How to reach us
We will continue to update you as more information becomes available. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the Water Quality Working Group at waterquestions@unb.ca.
