Hoboken Schools Will Test For Lead In Water, Superintendent Says

Hoboken, NJ – Following lead scares in Flint, Michigan, and Newark, the Hoboken Public School district has decided to conduct proactive testing of its water supply.

Hoboken school administrators announced plans for “precautionary testing” in a March 30 letter to parents and guardians.

“Currently, New Jersey public schools are not required to test lead levels in drinking water,” Hoboken Superintendent Christine Johnson wrote. “Rather, districts typically rely on annual reports by their local water supplier. In Hoboken, those reports are generated by Suez Water and reviewed by our district staff.”

Johnson continued:

“I have been informed that approximately ten years ago, such an annual report indicated elevated levels of lead in the local water supply and all of the public school buildings in Hoboken were subsequently tested. The results from each building indicated that the drinking water was well within federally acceptable lead levels, except for a few specific fountains at the Joseph F. Brandt School. At that time, a decision was made to take all drinking fountains in the Brandt School off line and coolers were installed. The district has continued with the use of coolers since that time.”

Johnson added:

“After the recent Flint and Newark results, state senators called upon David Hespe, the New Jersey Commissioner of Education, to mandate all public schools to test drinking water for lead. Legislation has also been proposed which would require immediate testing of drinking water in all schools and provide $3 million to cover the cost of the testing.”

• See related article: Newark Schools Shut Off Water Taps In 30 Buildings: Elevated Lead Found, DEP Says

But in the meanwhile, the Hoboken Board of Education has contracted an independent environmental engineering firm to conduct immediate testing, Johnson stated.

“The district will not wait for New Jersey’s mandate and will begin precautionary testing at the end of this week and throughout next week,” Johnson wrote.

"Testing is only prudent," said Tom Kluepfel, president of the Hoboken Board of Education. "We can make no expedient assumptions when it comes to the health and safety of the children. Although there is, at present, no evidence to suggest anything of concern, testing will provide us with peace of mind or give us the data we need to take appropriate action."

While testing is conducted, the schools will utilize bottled water for drinking and the district’s food service provider will follow all proper protocols for water that is used for food preparation, school administrators stated.

“As soon as the district is given a concrete timeline for the issuance of the results and report, it will be communicated with all parents and guardians,” Johnson wrote.

Sign up for Patch NJ email newsletters here.

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com