Drinking Water At All N.J. Schools To Be Tested For Lead As More Contamination Found

New Jersey will now test for lead.

The Christie administration plans to spend $10 million to test for lead exposure at all New Jersey school drinking fountains by the next school year.

Christie said the plan will safeguard students, as well as teachers and school personnel, from the potential of lead contamination in school drinking water, and he called on the state Legislature to appropriate $10 million to support his action.

Recently, elevated levels of lead were discovered in some drinking water delivery systems in Newark and some other school districts around the state.

But in New Jersey, it's a problem not just confined to Newark, where the school district recently announced that elevated lead readings have been found at 30 schools in its jurisdiction. The problems came to light after a national controversy involving lead contamination in Flint, Mich. drinking water.

The announcement also comes as lead testing results for a Parsippany school building have been returned, and show an elementary school classroom tested above the allowable limit.

Indeed, at least 79 additional New Jersey drinking water systems have been cited for having elevated levels of lead within the past four years, according to state Department of Environmental Protection.

Read more: Too Much Lead Found In These N.J. Drinking Water Sites

Despite showing some earlier resistance, Christie directed the state Department of Education to address concerns about elevated lead levels in school water systems by by mandating lead hazard water testing in schools beginning this year.

"We are continuing our commitment to addressing the dangers of elevated lead levels wherever they exist, using the highest testing standards available," Christie said. "At this point, we know the risk of lead contamination is not in our water sources, but in the aging pipes and support systems delivering water through fountains and faucets."

The new mandate will apply to approximately 3,000 facilities beginning in the next school year.

Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, released a statement saying the Christie administration has done too little too late.

“Now he’s finally supporting important initiatives to address the problem of lead in our drinking water and schools," he said. "He should have supported these things from the beginning and come have designated the money in previous budgets. He’s only doing it now because have been outraged by his lack of leadership on the issue."

The DOE will work with the Department of Environmental Protection to determine scientifically appropriate protocols to advise schools of how the testing should be performed, according to their particular needs, Christie said.

Governor Christie also directed Education Commissioner David Hespe to require schools, through regulation, to publicly post all test results and immediately notify parents if testing shows elevated levels of lead.

Schools also must provide parents with a description of any steps the school is taking to ensure safe drinking water will be made available to students, according to a release from the governor's office.

The Governor called on the legislature to include an additional $10 million to his proposed Fiscal Year 2017 budget to support the plan. The funding will support schools in complying with the expanded testing and notification regulations and make the districts more accountable.

To further protect and ensure children are safeguarded against exposure to lead hazards, Christie directed Acting Health Commissioner Cathleen Bennett to move forward with regulatory changes to strengthen New Jersey's standard for intervening in cases of potential lead exposure.

New Jersey will join about 25 percent of states in requiring earlier intervention when lower levels of lead are detected in a child -- from 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood to between 5 and 9 micrograms, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.

The change will enable public health officials and medical providers to intervene with education, case management, home visits and other steps as appropriate to address health hazards caused by lead exposure, and bring children's blood lead levels down below the level of concern at the earliest possible time, according to the release.