Water crisis: Minister was warned bottled water would cause undue alarm The West Australian Public health officials warned Education Minister Sue Ellery that handing out bottled water at schools may spread undue alarm but she insisted it was the right decision yesterday “because we’re talking about children”. The first day of school was thrown into disarray for hundreds of students, parents and teachers when they were told water at their new schools may be contaminated, in the latest lead fiasco to grip the State’s public infrastructure. After concerns about lead in stagnant water and leaching from construction materials at Perth Children’s Hospital in October, Ms Ellery ordered taps to be flushed during the long summer break at 809 established schools, and for 11 newly built schools to be tested. She blasted the Department of Education and the Department of Finance’s Building Management and Works arm yesterday for failing to come up with a testing regime to clear all the new schools in time for the first day of…