April 23rd, 2026
Ontario schools, private schools, or childcare centres address lead in drinking water through mandatory annual testing (Reg. 243/07), alongside mandatory flushing of plumbing to reduce lead levels.
Reg. 243/07 allows lead sampling schedules for co-located facilities – such as schools, private schools, or childcare centres operating within the same building – to be sampled once every three years (36 months), provided that specific and rigorous testing criteria are met. Any new drinking water fixture installed will be sampled.
To qualify for the updated approach to sampling, the location must meet the following conditions based on the requirements of O. Reg. 243/07:
- No lead test results have exceeded the Ontario drinking water quality standard (10 micrograms per litre) in the two most recent years.
- All drinking water fixtures (drinking fountains, bottles filling stations and taps used for drinking/food prep) in the facility have been tested at least once since June 7, 2007.
- Each co-located facility must submit the Form (Drinking Water Information – O. Reg. 243/07) to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.
Although the regulation allows flushing to be reduced for fixtures with consistently low lead results, the WRDSB continues to carry out routine flushing across our facilities as a preventative measure.
Lead in drinking water typically results from contact with plumbing materials during periods of stagnation. Flushing helps replace water that has been sitting in pipes and this practice provides an additional layer of precaution between sampling cycles.
The Board continues to prioritize the replacement of higher-risk fixtures and older plumbing components, which will further reduce the likelihood of lead entering drinking water over time.
