Bottled water will continue to be sold in Halifax area schools after a study found it is the only way to provide safe drinking water for students in some locations.

Out of a concern for the environment, students lobbied for the Halifax Regional School Board to ban the sale of bottled water.

They made the pitch back in February, saying it was unnecessary and detrimental to the environment.

Staff did agree to do a study on the issue, but found such a ban is impossible.

The problem is at least nine schools don’t have any other way to provide safe drinking water for students, according to board staff.

The proposed ban was voted down last night, but schools will have the option to ban bottled water individually.

Board Chair Irvine Carvery suggested that in the future, bottled water may be phased out in favour of installing water refill stations at schools, but it still wouldn’t be a region-wide ban.  

“Leave the responsibility for the banning of the sale of bottled water to individual schools and as funds become available the addition of hydration stations will be added,” said Carvery.

Once those stations are installed, the sale of bottled water in schools may fall off but a ban is still unlikely according to board staff.

One of the students who has been advocating for the ban, Hannah Cameron, found the decision frustrating.

“The school board has been avoiding leadership on this matter a little bit, and that’s very frustrating to me as somebody who has worked very hard. A lot of youth have worked very hard,” said Cameron.

Cameron says she’ll go to schools sharing the students’ message hoping they’ll use the option to ban bottled water.