Tests find lead in school water

SEATTLE — Tests show that water from drinking fountains in many of the city’s public schools contains lead levels that exceed federal standards.

The district so far has released test results for 88 of its 100 schools, and 70 have at least one water fountain with lead levels above the Environmental Protection Agency standard of 20 parts per billion, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Thursday. At 19 schools, the problem affected more than half the fountains tested.

The Seattle School Board ordered the testing in December, after parents at Wedgwood Elementary arranged private tests and found lead levels that topped the EPA standard.

In January, the district shut off fountains at all schools with water systems built before 1997 and began providing bottled water. Those deliveries will continue until the EPA standard is met by all operating fountains, district officials say. About $265,000 has been spent on bottled water so far, and the district has allocated $400,000 for 2004-05.

Lead can contaminate water through contact with corroded pipes and fixtures, more likely to be found in older buildings.

This summer, all pipes will be replaced at four district schools — Wedgwood, Fairmount Park and Schmitz Park elementary schools, and at The Nova Project alternative high school — at a cost of $140,000 to $290,000 per school. Administrators are considering options for other schools.

Problems at the four schools were detected during sporadic testing in the 1990s, but the recommended pipe replacement — and districtwide testing — was not done.

Lead exposure, especially for children 5 or younger, can lower IQ, impair hearing and reduce attention span. At high levels, it can cause brain damage.

Test results are based on first draws of water from pipes that have not been used for eight hours or more. In most cases, contamination levels declined dramatically after pipes were flushed, though 26 schools had one or more fountains that still failed.

When all the results are in, Superintendent Raj Manhas and the board will address the problem at each school in consultation with Economic and Engineering Services of Bellevue, which is conducting the tests at a cost of $400,000 to $500,000.

The testing has turned up dozens of fountains with first-draw contamination levels of more than 100 parts per billion. The single highest reading — 1,600 ppb — was recorded at Alternative Elementary School No. 2.

Unlike public water-supply systems, schools are not legally required to meet water-quality standards.