Recently, Eyewitness News NY reported that nearly 60% of schools in New Jersey notified parents that levels of lead in school drinking water were above the state and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maximum allowable level of 15 parts per billion (ppb).
NJ law requires school districts to test for lead and cut off access to contaminated drinking water if levels exceed the limit.
One of those school systems was Toms River, which installed water filtering equipment in all its buildings or shut off access to contaminated drinking water. The district has worked for years to remediate its lead-contamination. A 2021 lab study found lead levels in Toms River schools as high as 56 ppb.
Schools must not only test for lead but also notify parents, guardians and staff and the NJ Department of Education (DOE) of contamination problems. In the event of lead contamination, test results must be posted on the school’s website. Schools must test for lead every three years, and the next round of lead testing must be completed during the 2024-2025 school year.
A 2017 study by New Jersey Future found that of 95 NJ school districts that reported lead test results to the NJ DOE, 300 individual schools had one or more water outlets that tested positive for lead exceeding tolerable limits (8.1% of water outlets tested in total). The report noted that not all NJ districts had reported to the DOE at the time the study was conducted, although “numerous other school districts conducted testing for lead in drinking water, had positive results, and notified the public, but were not included in the DOE data that was analyzed.”
Three of the districts not included in the DOE results were Newark, Jersey City, and Camden, although all three had previously reported their lead problems to their constituent communities and initiated efforts to remediate. “No type of community appears to be immune from the presence of lead,” NJ Future said.
Solutions to problems are always a work in progress.
Where Is the Lead Coming From?
A PBS report in March 2023 noted that larger schools may not have a lead pipe problem so much as a problem with lead-containing fixtures: “Typically lead pipes connected to public water systems are too small to serve larger schools. Water contamination in those buildings is more likely to come from old faucets, fountains, and internal plumbing.”
School administrators have sometimes tried to solve the lead-contamination problem by posting signs at faucets that state: “OK for hand washing but not drinking.”
Who Pays for Remediation?
In July 2023, the EPA announced funding of up to $58 million for lead remediation in schools and childcare facilities. This money was made available through the Biden-Harris Investing in America agenda, and it will cover not just removal and replacement of pipes but also all the plumbing fixtures that go into school water systems, such as faucets, water fountains, water filler stations, point-of-use devices, and other apparatus related to drinking water.
School administrators can now apply for funding to replace the fixtures that are dangerous. Also, NJ Department of Children and Families was awarded grant money from the EPA to assist childcare centers with the cost of testing for lead in drinking water.
Information for Parents
Contact your child’s school or visit the school’s website to find out about lead contamination and remedial progress. Look for the school’s drinking water report. Find out if the school is taking advantage of the funding now provided by the $58 million to reduce lead in schools and other childcare facilities.
Act now to make sure your school is measuring up to standards. Democracy is participatory!
Resources
Eyewitness News article: shorturl.at/ruM89
NJ Law: http://www.nj.gov/education/lead/faq/
PBS Report: shorturl.at/koR26
Biden-Harris fund: shorturl.at/mqCL4
Please see the electronic supplement for more about lead remediation.