High Lead Levels Force Bergen School District To Shut Off Water Fountains

District officials have shut off six water fountains in the district after levels of lead were found to be "above the standard" in testing, Superintendent Joanne T. Megargee said in a notice on the district's website.

A preliminary report from an environmental testing agency tested 98 water fountains at all three schools, the Annex, and the Board of Education building. The other 92 fountains had "acceptable results," Megargee said in the notice.

Work has begun to replace filters and repair the affected fountains. The water from the fountains will be retested before any of them are reopened.

The district is waiting for a final report from the testing agency.

The district hired the testing agency after reading about districts in New Jersey and other states that had higher than expected levels of lead in their water supply.\

High levels of lead have been found in school districts and municipalities throughout the United States since the water crisis in Flint, Michigan earlier this year.

Pascack Valley shut down water fountains after high levels of lead were found in drinking water in their buildings, The Record reported.