Lead in Drinking Water in Schools
A project of the Region 1 Water
Technical Unit, Drinking Water
Enforcement Team, Mass DEP/DPH
and BPHC
Presented to the National Partnership
Summit, Atlanta Georgia
Gina Snyder, EPA Region 1 and by
Yvette DePeiza, MassDEP
EPA New England Project to prevent
exposure of school children to lead in DW
Two-part Presentation, EPA and MassDEP
EPA:
 Review: Boston Public School System (BPS)
 Sample: BPS kitchens
 Survey: Boston Private Schools (BPHC)
 Sample: Boston Private Schools
MassDEP : Massachusetts Schools and Child
Care program

Program Impetus

Region 3 findings in Philadelphia Schools (1999)

Region 2 findings in New York Schools (2002)

Boston water system Lead Action Level (2002)

No information on Boston Schools
The Concept
Coordinate a strategy to
evaluate lead in DW in schools in Boston with:
–
Massachusetts Departments:


–
–
–
Environmental Protection
Public Health
Boston Public Schools
Boston Public Health Commission
MWRA and BWSC
What we knew

Mass DEP information campaigns and LCR results
in schools

Mass DEP/DPH data gathering under SDWA LCCA

BPHC relations with schools

Blood Lead levels for Boston children
Maximum Lead Concen. Boston 1990
10.000
6.000
Lead
4.000
Series1
57
53
49
45
41
37
33
29
25
21
17
9
5
0.000
13
2.000
1
ppm lead
8.000
schools, sorted
Lead Concentrations in
Boston Schools, 1990
What we found

BPS sampling data for many years
~ 80 of 148 schools with data ranging from 1988 to 1990;
139 operating schools with data from 1990 to current

Lead level set at Lead and Copper Rule level
(15 ppb rather than EPA guidance level of 20 ppb)

Any sample above action level = DW disconnect

Bottled water program
Data Gaps

Bottled water program
–

Audits in Dorchester
Kitchens
Some schools with kitchens
in use, no sampling
Filling in Data Gaps

Sampling of Kitchens

Region 1 OEME
28 schools
2 > A/L after flushing
PR: EPA and Boston
School Department
Announce Results of
School Drinking Water
Project
School Department additional 10 schools
A Flushing Program was begun in 2004

Private School Sampling Program with
Boston Public Health Commission







BPHC Survey June
EPA and BPHC review SeptemberOctober
Solicit participation November –
small Independent Private Schools
OECA funded QAPP and sampling
December sample
January Results
February Summary Meeting
Results

16 elementary schools

Over 230 samples

Nine schools > A/L

17 locations
Outcomes - Continuing





Flushing programs
Bottled water policy
Posting at faucets
Publicity
Awareness
Outcomes - Continuing
LSLR
 MassDEP Child
Cares program
 Continued Survey/
outreach
 School Sampling

Pause for questions
[email protected]
617-918-1837
Massachusetts Department Of
Environmental Protection
(MassDEP)
Yvette DePeiza
National Environmental Partnership
Summit
Atlanta Georgia May 8-11, 2006.
Reducing Lead in school and
childcare drinking water

Childcare facilities project

Schools outreach program

Using the PWS program to facilitating
assistance to schools and child care facilities
MA lead action level is 0.015mg/l
Objectives- Childcare

Free lead sampling and analysis to child care
facilities.

Develop curriculum to teach undergraduates.

Provide guidance and mitigation strategies to
childcare facilities that exceed the MA lead
action level.
Partners




MassDEP
Worcester State College
(WSC)
New England Interstate
Water Pollution Control
Commission (NEIWPCC)
EPA New England
Project coordinated with:
MA Dept. of Early childhood
Education
Project steps

MassDEP trained WSC students

WSC student team contact child care
facilities.
–
Mailed postcards about the project to 200
child care facilities
Project Steps – cont’d


25 child care facilities agreed to participate in
the project.
WSC student did the following:
–
–
–
–
•
Developed all materials with MassDEP oversight.
Collected samples.
Discussed possible results and action plan if lead
levels exceeded the MA lead action level.
Delivered samples to the lab.
MassDEP and WSC students discussed results
with each child care facility and encouraged
future sampling.
Childcare Results

Four (16 %) of the twenty-five child
care facilities had at least one sample
that exceeded the MA lead action level.

Twenty-one (84 %) of the twenty-five
child care facilities had no detected
amounts or had levels below the MA
lead action level.
Child care facilities exceeding the
MA lead action level
Child
care
1st
Draw
ppb
2nd Draw
ppb
(2 mins)
Duplicate
ppb
3rd Draw
ppb
(5 mins)
Remediation
Measure
Child
care #1
17
3.2
n/a
3.3
Bottled Water
Child
care #2
16
2.6
n/a
2.3
Flushing
Procedure
Child
care #3
17
4.9
n/a
2.9
Flushing
Procedure
Child
care #4
10
84
21
10
Bottled Water
Project Outcomes

Childcare facility owners and staff were
educated about lead in drinking water.

WSC developed a program curriculum
on lead in drinking water.

The project can be adapted for any
community.
MassDEP working with schools
Partners
 MassDEP
 Mass Department of Public Health
 Mass Department of Education
 EPA
 Local health Department e.g. Boston
Health Commission
Objectives - working with schools

Evaluate each school.

Provide training to school officials.

Require corrective action.

Encourage local public water systems to work with
their school districts and childcare facilities.
Steps

Survey of 1030 public schools

Provide training seminars and assistance

Send notices to all schools with sampling
results that are over the MA action level
for lead and copper.
Results



(53.2 %) of the public schools responded as
of January 1, 2006.
(60.9%) schools reported that the taps they
used for drinking or cooking purposes met
the MA lead action level.
(39.1%) reported that they had identified and
corrected problems or were correcting
problems.
Results

(36%) of the schools submitted lab results.

(17%) schools submitting laboratory data
reported at least one sampling point in the
school that exceeded either the lead action
level and/ or the copper action level.
What have we learned so far?




Many schools/school districts have been
testing their water through out the last 15
years.
The survey prompted some schools to
identify and correct problems prior to
returning the survey.
Schools want to address identified problems.
No enforcement is necessary
Next steps

Survey the rest of the schools.

Provide a final report to Mass Department of
Public Health, Mass Department of
Education, and EPA.

Encourage our partners to follow-up on all
non- responders or questionable data.
Other tools used by MassDEP


Include school drinking water lead sampling
and remediation as Supplemental
Environmental Projects (SEP) in enforcement
cases.
Issue Awards during Drinking Water Week to
schools and public water systems or other
partnerships working to abate lead in school
drinking water.
Other tools used by MassDEP –
cont’d

Facilitating PWS outreach to schools and child care
facilities in the following programs.
–
–

PWS Lead and copper sampling program.
PWS sanitary surveys
Use of Mass contract process to get low cost
laboratory analysis.
For more information on MassDEP
programs

Web
http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/drinking/leadothe.htm
Email
[email protected]
 Telephone
main # 617-292-5770

Yvette DePeiza


617-292-5857
[email protected]