High Lead Levels in Water From Sinks at 2 Palatine Catholic Schools

PALATINE, IL — Two Catholic schools in Palatine were among 56 Chicago-area Catholic elementary and high schools that were found to have unacceptable lead levels in their water, according to a report by the Archdiocese of Chicago.

St. Theresa School, 445 N. Benton St., and St. Thomas of Villanova School, 1141 E. Anderson Drive, both had one water outlet with lead concentrations greater than 15 parts per billion, the level set by the Environmental Protection Agency before action needs to be taken.

In all cases, the problem outlets have been removed, the Archdiocese said in a statement. The testing also did not uncover any school-wide or system-wide water quality issues. In schools that had unacceptable lead levels in the water, only one to four water outlets or fixtures were affected.

At St. Theresa, a sink in a non-student area tested at a level of 18.1 ppb, said Anne Maselli, director of communications for the Archdiocese. Even though the sink isn't accessbile to students, the school plans to fix it and then retest it before bringing it back on line, she added.

At St. Thomas of Villanova, a hand washing-sink in a science classroom tested at a level of 15.3 ppb, Maselli said. Because the sink has always only been used for handwashing, the school will be labeling it as a non-drinking fixture going forward, she added.

Parents who want to read the Archdiocese's report or have questions concerning the lead testing should contact the principal at their school, Maselli said.

Along with the two Palatine schools, Our Lady of the Wayside School in Arlington Heights and St. Colette School in Rolling Meadows both had one water fixture each with lead concentrations greater than the federal level.

RELATED: 56 Chicago-Area Catholic Schools Show High Lead Levels in Water

“The safety and well-being of our students is our most important priority, so it was important that the Archdiocese complete this testing” said Dr. Jim Rigg, Superintendent of Catholic Schools. “We are glad to see a high majority of or schools did not have any water issues identified.”

The Archdiocese of Chicago spearheaded the school water testing after high lead levels were discovered in cities, such Flint, Mich. School officials worked with an environmental consulting firm to test drinking fountains and other water fixtures in the Archdiocese's 180 schools throughout July, August and September.

The water samples were sent to an independent laboratory for analysis. If a water outlet tested above the EPA’s action level for lead, the Archdiocese immediately worked with the schools to put the affected outlet out of service until the issue was fixed.

Patch editor Amie Rowland contributed to this story.

photo via Pixabay

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