District 202 To Test All Campuses For Lead In Water

PLAINFIELD, IL -- District 202 will test the water in all 32 of its schools and district buildings for lead next month thanks to a new state law enacted in response to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. The district on Tuesday said it is required to test the water at its own expense, to the tune of $65,000, and testing will take place between May 2 and May 9.

The new law requires all water sampling to be completed by Dec. 31, 2017 for buildings serving grades preschool through fifth grade built before Jan. 1, 1987. For buildings constructed between Jan. 2, 1987 and Jan. 1, 2000, the deadline is extended by a year to Dec. 31, 2018.

"The law does not address schools built after 2000," the district said in a news release. "However, the Legislature has the option to change the law until June 30, 2019."

Superintendent Lane Abrell called the water testing "an important and appropriate step to take to ensure the safety and well-being of our students and staff."

La Grange-based Environmental Services Inc. will test the water in about 1,900 drinking fountains and commercial sinks in all schools, the District 202 Administrative Center, Operations and Maintenance facility and the Technology building.

The testing will be conducted at around 6 a.m., before school begins for the day, as required by the law. Results will be posted on the district website in early June, school officials said.

"Coincidentally, the water was tested last fall at Crystal Lawns Elementary because it was cloudy," the district said in a press release. "Test results showed no problems."

The law applies to all facilities the serve children from preschool through fifth grade. It requires that school districts notify the parents or legal guardians of all students if substantial amounts of lead are found in the drinking water.

"The new law created some confusion because District 202 has buildings that fall into both age categories, but which are not elementary schools, and many that were built after 2000," the district said.

Nineteen of District 202’s 30 schools and the Plainfield High School – Central Campus Freshman Center opened in 2000 or later, during the district’s heavy growth period from 1997 to 2008. District 202 said officials held off on testing water earlier this winter to seek legal clarification and ensure appropriate compliance with the new law.

The law provides no funding for the testing, but allows districts to use budgeted Health/Life Safety or Operations and Maintenance funds.

"Prior to the new law, the water quality in all District 202 facilities met all state and federal regulations," the district said. "The old rules focused more on the quality of the water at the source of the supply – usually the municipality providing the water – rather than at the eventual outlets in public buildings."

Image by David Salafia via Flickr Creative Commons