Most drinking water sources in Arizona public schools have no lead
Dec 12, 2017, 5:15 AM
(Flickr/Jeff Turner)
(Flickr/Jeff Turner)
PHOENIX — A majority of drinking water sources in Arizona’s public K-12 schools are producing water with little to no traces of lead, according to a recent report.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality found that 96 percent of the 14,782 fixtures tested in 180 public school districts showed no elevated levels of lead.
According to Trevor Baggiore, the department’s water quality director, the school districts that had the four percent of fixtures with higher lead levels will work to address those concerns.
Among the preventative measures that the schools will take will include shutting off that particular fixture, implementing a flushing system or blocking the water from being drank.
The department will then re-sample those fixtures to confirm the problem, and if it is still found then it will work with the board to replace the fixture or take another measure of action.
However, Baggiore said many of the school districts erred on the side of caution and tested water systems where the water was not being consumed by students.
Baggiore said the testing was conducted after officials realized that there was a gap in the knowledge about lead in Arizona: They did not know if children were exposed to the problem at school.
It was the first full effort to test water at Arizona public schools, he added.
KTAR News’ Griselda Zetino contributed to this report.
