Lead in water shuts MUN campus in St. John's

Memorial University is shutting down much of its campus in St. John's because of the discovery of lead in the water.

University officials announced in a release early Thursday evening that the Prince Philip Drive Campus will be closed Friday for all faculty, staff and students. The release said regular water quality testing found higher than acceptable levels of lead in the water in the music and engineering buildings.

Followup testing is now being done to confirm the results. But the university will be closed tomorrow for all faculty, staff and students as a precaution.

"The health and safety of our employees, students and visitors is paramount," Kent Decker, Memorial's vice-president said in the release. "The university is acting with an abundance of caution until we can ensure there is a safe supply of water."

Any exams scheduled for tomorrow are being delayed until the next regularly scheduled class. In the meantime, the university is seeking out alternate sources of drinking water for employees required to work, food service operators and the people who live in residences, which will remain open. Those people are being advised to throw out any tap water or ice they may have stored.

There is no word on when the Prince Philip Drive campus will reopen.