Lead levels were elevated at the Stewart Hurley arena in Saint John. (Greg Hickman/Flickr)

Saint John has issued a do not consume order for water at three local arenas after tests found high levels of lead at one of them.

City officials say water at the Stewart Hurley, Hilton Belyea, and Peter Murray arenas may not be safe to drink.

Lead levels were elevated at the Stewart Hurley arena, said Nicole Taylor, the city’s operations manager for water resources and quality.

Water at the other two arenas is being tested as a precaution, she said.

“If that arena had high lead, and the arenas were all built in and around the same timeframe, then the other arenas were likely to have high lead as well. So we wanted to test those as soon as possible," Taylor said.

The results are expected Friday, said Taylor.

Brass fixtures and lead solder in the plumbing could be the cause, she said.

“Up until 1988, lead was permitted in solder. It's no longer permitted, but these rinks were all built before that time," she said.

Water at the Charles Gorman arena was also tested, but found to be safe, Taylor said.

The Stewart Hurley is located at 1500 Hickey Rd., on the city's east side.

The Hilton Belyea and Peter Murray are both located on the city's west side, at 390 Lowell St. and 711 Dever Rd., respectively.

The Charles Gorman arena is located north, at 80 University Ave.