FARMINGTON — The Regional School Unit 9 Board of Directors at the Tuesday, Aug. 23, meeting heard a plan to handle elevated lead levels in water fixtures across the district’s seven schools.
RSU 9 Director of Finance and Operations Dan Higgins explained to the board what the team handling the lead issue, including a consultant, are recommending.
At the tail-end of the 2021-22 school year, RSU 9 learned 38 of 117 water fixtures in the district’s seven schools tested above the state standard of 4 parts-per-billion (ppb). Additionally, 16 of 117 tested above the federal standard of 15 ppb.
The Press Herald reports that Maine has set an acceptable lead limit of 4 parts per billion — stricter than the federal standard of 15 ppb.
LD 153 was passed in 2019 to require “all schools to test water used for drinking or culinary purposes for lead” and establish with DHHS rule “water lead levels, testing protocols, appropriate abatement and mitigation methods and public notification requirements.”
Since the Drinking Water Program launched Oct. 1, 2021, many schools across Maine have exceeded the acceptable limit for lead – with a high percentage exceeding the 15 ppb level.
Detailed lab reports have been published on the district’s website at https://www.mtbluersd.org/school-lead-sampling.
As a result, the district closed schools for a day after learning about the elevated levels and resumed classes the next day with donated water bottles for students, staff and food preparation.
Higgins told the board results from remediation testing was conducted by collecting two samples from each water fixture with elevated levels. One collection was a “confirmation” with water set for eight hours and a “flush” sample taken after running cold water through the fixture for 30 seconds.
The results show some decreases in lead levels from initial testing, some fixtures with continued issues that need replacement and some with levels that increased – necessitating the need to both replace the fixtures and “look at lead joints and solder behind it.”
The results lay out plans for each school:
• Academy Hill – bottled water will continue to be used for drinking; source water used for food preparation; three fixtures to be replaced and monitored.
• G.D. Cushing School – designated water fountains will return to use for students and staff; source water for food preparation; one fixture to be replaced.
• Cape Cod Hill School – designated water fountains will return to use for students and staff; source water for food preparation; seven fixtures to be replaced and monitored; installation of a new water-bottle filling station; removal of several drinking water fountains.
• Cascade Brook School – designated water fountains will return to use for students and staff; source water for food preparation; 12 fixtures to be replaced and monitored; installation of a new water-bottle filling station; removal of several drinking water fountains.
• W.G. Mallet School – bottled water provided to staff, students and for food preparation; eight fixtures to be replaced and monitored; installation of a new water-bottle filling station; removal of several drinking water fountains.
• Mt. Blue Middle School – designated water fountains will return to use for students and staff; source water for food preparation; one fixture to be replaced and monitored.
• Mt. Blue Campus – designated water fountains will return to use for students and staff; source water for food preparation; one fixture to be replaced and monitored.
Higgins said the removal of water fountains from specific schools will “eliminate the expense for replacing fixtures … [the need] for further testing in the future because those will no longer be used for consumption.”
Higgins also said that an additional sample was taken at each school’s fixture closest to the source water entrance into the building.
“The intent of doing that is to determine if it’s not the fixtures within your school. Where does the problem lie?” Higgins said. “In New England it’s very low likelihood for your source water to be high with lead content. Maine certainly follows that.
“Additionally, if you look at the schools in the community of Farmington who are fed by three water sources in Farmington, the number of fixtures that tested above [are] a very small percentage, so it’s not likely the source water.”
Other plans, Higgins said include signage to note which fountains cannot be used.
“We do recognize that the provision of bottled water for consumption and food preparation is an inconvenience and it’s a lot of extra work on our staff,” Higgins concluded. “But that’s outweighed by the fact that our highest priority is the safety and health of our students and staff. And it’s really the necessary and right thing to do.”
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