Fulton Tests Water Quality in Schools

ROSWELL, GA -- Recent events have brought national attention to water quality issues in public facilities throughout the nation.

With this in mind, the Fulton County School System is working to ensure that the district’s water is safe for consumption through a rigorous testing schedule for schools and administrative facilities.

While there is no mandate to conduct this testing, the district believes testing all sites is the right thing to do.

During September, the school system voluntarily began testing of facilities with plumbing systems that were installed prior to 1986. Although results are not immediate, the district will communicate directly with schools when results are received so that they can be shared with respective school communities. A total of 119 campuses will be tested, including schools and administrative facilities, with newer facilities completed prior to December 2016.

Student and employee safety is a top priority in the Fulton County School System and has chosen to test water using the Environmental Protection Agency’s action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb) for public water systems, rather than the recommendation of 20 ppb for local schools.

“We want our parents, employees, students, and the community to know that results of our testing will be provided immediately,” said Superintendent Jeff Rose. “Any water sources with results indicating limits exceeding 15 ppb will be disconnected and will remain so until the issues have been corrected.”

The district understands that water quality test results can cause concern and will therefore continue to work closely with an independent consultant and the Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness to ensure follow-up testing is done thoroughly in the schools with prompt and appropriate district responses to any identified issues.

• A Q&A on water testing can be viewed here.

Fulton is establishing a schedule of testing using EPA-recommended guidelines and will continue to update the community through the district’s website and messages via schools and facilities.

In the event of a positive test, the water source will be immediately isolated from public use and corrective actions will be implemented to address the elevated levels, the system stated.

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