19 Schools Have Unsafe Lead Levels In Drinking Water: District

ANNAPOLIS, MD — At least 19 Anne Arundel County Public Schools have tested for unsafe levels of lead in the drinking water system, officials said. All water fountains and other outlets where high lead levels were found have been shut off until the district can make repairs.

The school district posted results from the first batch of tests online, sampled at 33 schools, roughly one quarter of the inventory. Lab results are back for 23 of those schools. Those results have been provided to parents and staff, and can also be found online. Full results are also available at all schools where testing has been completed and lab reports have been received.

A level of 15 parts per billion is set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as the maximum allowable amount, as lead in drinking water can have serious health impacts, especially for children.

While the testing required by state law is for drinking water outlets only, Anne Arundel County Public Schools says it has been proactively testing water outlets at schools for the presence of lead. That includes exterior hose bibbs and other outlets from which water was never intended to be consumed.

Of the schools tested so far, Glen Burnie High School had the most water outlets with unsafe lead levels at 71.

Other county school buildings with elevated lead levels are: Belle Grove Elementary, 8 outlets; Brooklyn Park Elementary, 23; Ferndale Elementary, 1; George Cromwell Elementary, 2; Glendale Elementary, 2; High Point Elementary, 13; Hilltop Elementary, 13; Linthicum Elementary, 5; Marley Glen Special Elementary, 4; North Glen Elementary, 1; Oakwood Elementary, 3; Overlook Elementary, 10; Park Elementary, 10; Point Pleasant Elementary, 1; Richard Henry Lee Elementary, 2; Solley Elementary, 5; Sunset Elementary, 14; and Woodside Elementary, 2.

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By July 1, 2019, the school system must sample all school buildings in the county. The law requires that school be in session when testing is done, so sampling will resume this fall when school starts again. Each school must be sampled once every three years after that point unless a waiver is granted for a school.

To date, school officials have received results from 2,487 tested water outlets. Of those, 190 (7.6 percent) showed elevated lead levels. Of the 190, 26 were consumable water outlets. The consumable water outlets with elevated lead levels represent 1.05 percent of the outlets tested.

The school system says it is replacing any interior fixture where samples show a level higher than the allowable 20 parts per billion. Retesting will be done at any site where a fixture has been replaced. In the case of outside hose bibbs, from which water should not be consumed anyway, AACPS is placing signs to that effect where levels have been above the recognized limit.

The documents provided to parents and staff also discuss the various ways in which people can be exposed to lead and the potential risks associated with lead exposure.

To see school-by-school testing results, click here.

More information about the law can be found on the Maryland Department of the Environment website.

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