Time's up for many schools in Washington to test drinking water for lead. Turns out, some lead contamination at older schools is more common than you think – but fixes are in the works.
A 2021 state law requires public kindergarten through 12th grade schools to complete initial testing of lead contamination in their drinking water outlets by June 30, 2026. That’s if the buildings were constructed or remodeled before 2016.
If lead contamination is found in an outlet, such as drinking fountains or sinks, the water source has to be fixed, replaced or shut off, which is already happening around the state.
As of the state deadline, 91% of schools required to complete testing had done so: 1,645 out of 1,806.
It’s common for older schools to have a few outlets with high levels, said Theresa Sanders, with the Washington State Department of Health. Most schools had at least one contaminated fixture.
“That's kind of what you would expect because this is trying to identify individual fixtures,” she said.
Now, Sanders said, this testing is helping school districts identify those fixtures so they can be replaced with safer ones.
No safe amount of lead
According to state standards, water sources shouldn’t have lead contamination above 5 parts-per-billion, or ppb, which is also the federal standard for bottled water. It’s a tiny amount – equivalent to 5 drops of water in five Olympic swimming pools.
“Our young kids are more susceptible to lead exposure, but it's also coming from a lot of sources,” Sanders said. “When we look at prevention, this is just like one place where we can help reduce that exposure.”
Studies show there is no safe amount of lead contamination, especially for children. Lead exposure can be harmful even at low levels, which has been linked to lower IQs, behavioral problems and slower physical growth.
The Department of Health also recommends children get their blood tested if parents are concerned about lead exposure — it’s the most reliable way to determine exposure levels.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most common sources for lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets and plumbing fixtures.
“This is something that has been a problem in the United States across many states and regions as well as internationally,” said Katya Cherukumilli, an assistant professor at the University of Washington. “Lead is one of those persistent contaminants that has been in our drinking water distribution system for over a century.”
One solution now, she said: Bottle refill stations can filter out lead. Their filter cartridges can be swapped out every six months or so.
Remediation challenges
Cherukumilli, who studies environmental and water quality engineering, has been looking at the scope and spread of lead in Washington public school drinking water for years. She’s studied the gap between:
-resources to fix the problem;
-how school districts can actually make those fixes;
-and expectations set by the state.
The state has allocated funding to fix these water sources, but not many schools have applied.
To learn more about why that is, Cherukumilli and Jessamine Li, a first-year doctoral student at UW, interviewed school district leaders around the state.
For one thing, districts have to hire third-party crews to fix the problem, even if they have their own plumbing department. Some districts told Cherukumilli that scheduling could be a challenge.
The grant also requires water fixtures to be replaced with the exact same type of fixture, which could prevent any upgrades to bottle refill stations.
The researchers found the strict requirements sometimes caused schools to seek out other funding sources, including grants, philanthropy, levies or bonds.
New tools
Right now, the University of Washington is developing three different tools to help school districts and communities document and test for lead.
The researchers say one will help school districts document drinking water fixtures and maintenance information.
Another tool should help to communicate water quality data risk. It will create explanations and communication materials that are easier for the general public to understand.
A third tool under development is meant to support school districts by generating information required for grant applications, such as summaries of lead contaminated fixture types and locations.
“We’re trying to ease districts’ workflow burden,” Li said.
Cherukumilli said the tools could be useful beyond schools. There are corroding buildings and infrastructure everywhere, including universities and other public institutions, she said.
“We want to prioritize (monitoring things at the tap) whether or not we're required federally to be monitoring (that),” she said. “We really should be, because once the water enters the building, a lot of contamination could be introduced that we're unaware of.”
