Montclair Schools Test For Lead In Water

Montclair, NJ – Do Montclair’s schools have lead in the water beyond allowable health standards?

According to school officials, the answer is no.

During Monday’s Board of Education meeting, Montclair’s superintendent and business administrator told attendees that the district recently conducted lead-related tests on its water supply, finding no levels above EPA action standards.

The testing was done as a precautionary measure in light of the Newark Public School District’s recent announcement that elevated lead levels have been found in 30 of its schools.

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

“When the situation in Newark hit the fan with the lead in the water, we felt we should be proactive,” Montclair Superintendent Ronald Bolandi said during Monday’s meeting.

“We have old buildings,” Bolandi continued. “We decided that we would test our district and do samples. And if we had to do remediation, we would do that.”

Business Administrator Brian Fleischer told meeting attendees that most of the samples showed no detectable amounts of lead.

However, Fleischer said that kitchen sinks in three buildings - Hillside, George Inness Annex and Montclair High School - had some detectable lead that was well below the EPA standard of 15 parts per billion.

District plumbers will replace fixtures in those sinks over the next week and retest water to see if the lead has been eliminated, Fleischer added.

Watch a video of the meeting below. Montclair officials speak about lead testing around the 14 minute mark.

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