PERRYVILLE – Perry County School District No. 32 Superintendent Dr. Fara Jones has given parents in the district an update on the Get the Lead Out of Drinking Water Act efforts.
“The statute dictates that each drinking/cooking water source has lead concentration of less than 5 parts per billion (ppb) or micrograms per liter (µg/L).
“We have received the results of the “second draw” tests on the 30 water sources that were identified as having a higher concentration of lead than allowable under the law. This “second draw” was a re-test of each of those sources under certain conditions conducted by an independent laboratory. The retesting showed that 9 of those 30 water sources failed the second test. All 30 water sources require remediation to be in compliance with the law.
“In accordance with the Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act of 2022, our district completed the first round of testing of more than 300 water sources in December 2023; this included kitchen sinks, handwashing sinks, dishwashers, water fountains and bottle fillers, ice makers, etc.
“The water sources that failed the retest are located in the Board Office, Industrial Arts Building, high school, and elementary school.
So, what’s next?
- Any source that indicated the presence of more than 5 µg/L of lead was labeled as non-potable and/or disabled on Jan. 18. Students and staff are reminded not to drink from those sources.
- Alternate sources of drinking water have been obtained through Culligan Water for each of those locations. All 30 sources that failed the first and/or second draws will remain out-of-service until remediation is completed and testing confirms that it meets the statute requirements.
- The maintenance department will begin making permanent fixes to all affected water sources, with this work required to be completed by Aug. 1, 2024. This includes all 30 of the water sources that failed the first and/or second draws. Water sources for elementary students (K-5) are, by law, the highest priority. These fixes may include installation of filtration systems, replacement of the sink/faucet/spigot, or complete removal of the source.
- After remediation, each source will be tested to confirm that it meets the statute requirements. You will be notified of those results.
“We will continue to ensure that our students have access to clean drinking water throughout the day, whether from an alternate fountain/bottle filler or one with a filter installed, or by providing access to bottled water.
“The Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act of 2022 has set a very high standard for schools to ensure that children’s drinking water is as free from lead contamination as possible, which is a good thing as lead consumption by children can have lifelong negative consequences. (By comparison, the EPA has set a standard of 15 ppb for public drinking water supplies, where most homes get their water.) The state has set aside $27 million for public schools to remediate lead in drinking water, and the district has been awarded $48,454.07 for our remediation efforts.
“While the deadline to complete the remediation process is not until Aug. 1, 2024, we feel confident that we will complete remediation ahead of that deadline. The safety of our staff and students is our first priority at District 32, and this is no exception. We will provide updates as the remediation process progresses.
“If you have questions about this process, please reach out to Assistant Superintendent Craig Hayden at 573-547-7500 Ext. 1201.”
Sincerely,
Dr. Fara Jones