District 300 completes lead remediation at 11 schools ahead of first day
Dozens of sinks and faucets at schools within Community Unit District 300 that tested positive for high levels of lead contamination were replaced ahead of classes starting Tuesday, officials said.
Illinois law requires school districts to test lead levels in drinking water sources in any schools or buildings housing students in preschool through fifth grade that were built before Jan. 1, 1987.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calls for remediation if test results exceed 15 parts per billion of lead contaminates. Illinois law is more stringent, requiring school districts to notify parents if lead is found in water levels at or above 5 ppb.
The district tested 11 elementary and middle schools for lead contamination - Dundee Highlands, Golfview, Hampshire, Lake in the Hills, Lakewood, Meadowdale, Neubert, Parkview, Perry, Sleepy Hollow and Westfield Community.
District 300 partnered with TEM Environmental to conduct the first phase of testing, which involved collecting two samples from each water source. One sample was drawn at the start of the day after water was allowed to sit undisturbed overnight. The second sample was collected after water was allowed to run for 30 seconds.
More than 229 water samples were collected, of those 51 tested at or above the state threshold. Of the 51 samples with elevated levels of lead, all but seven met EPA standards, according to water quality reports.
In addition to remediation the district replaced any water fountain or sink used for food preparation where either sample came back above 5 ppb.
In total, 35 out of 102 water fountains and 16 out of 127 sinks/faucets involving cooking or food preparation were replaced. Any sink that tested at 5 ppb or higher is marked "for hand washing only" in both English and Spanish.
"We remediated more than we were required to," 300 Superintendent Fred Heid said. "We made a conscious decision to replace everything above that 5 parts per billion. We got more water fill stations in all of our buildings. Classroom sinks have all been labeled. We installed some line filters on others. There is a greater likelihood that people have a higher lead level in their homes than we do in our schools."
The total cost for lead water remediation was less than $50,000. Much of the work was done in-house by the district's technicians.
Heid said officials were proactive about informing parents about lead testing. Letters were sent via email in July to parents with children attending those schools.
Another round of testing is required by the end of 2018 for school buildings built between Jan. 2, 1987, and Jan. 1, 2000.
"We included some middle schools in that first round of testing," Heid said. "We will be testing other schools in accordance with the state timeline. And we have to do a secondary round of testing at the elementary schools. We take the health, safety and welfare of our students very seriously and that's why we were more aggressive in our replacement."
Test results are posted at d300.org/WaterTestingResults.