Preliminary Results indicate two publicly accessible fountains out of 192 fixtures exceeded acceptable lead levels; three additional non-publicly accessible fixtures also exceeded levels

In light of recent national and local news regarding the presence of lead in drinking water, the City of Somerville with the Somerville Public Schools recently conducted additional lead testing for drinking water in the Somerville schools. Currently, federal water testing regulations for lead in school water sources require limited sampling rather than the testing of all fixtures. To ensure that no lead levels exceeding allowable federal limits were left undetected, further testing of every drinking water fountain, cafeteria water source, and school nursing station sink at every school in the District was conducted. Additional testing of other water sources at Somerville public parks and libraries is also currently underway.

Testing was conducted at all 11 public school buildings on a total of 192 water fixtures. According to United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements, lead levels in drinking water may not exceed 15 parts per billion. Initial results indicate that two publicly accessible drinking water fixtures exceeded EPA lead levels: a second floor drinking fountain in Somerville High School, which tested at 29 parts per billion, and a classroom combination sink and water fountain in room 103 at the West Somerville Neighborhood School, which tested at 23 parts per billion.

“We don’t want to see any levels exceeding the EPA recommended maximum allowable lead content. But it should be noted that at the slightly elevated levels found by our testing, current medical research indicates a very minimal health risk, especially with the small quantities of water usually consumed by fountain users. Anyone with concerns or questions is however welcome to contact the Health Department or contact that health provider. Additionally, we’ll be happy to answer any questions at the upcoming informational meeting on June 9th,” said Director of Health and Human Services Doug Kress.

Three additional fixtures also exceeded acceptable levels but contain no risk of student exposure as they are either not publicly accessible or not involved in food preparation. An additional fixture, a water fountain that is not publicly accessible at the former Cummings school, was additionally found to contain elevated copper levels. Upon receipt of results for the affected fixtures, water was either immediately shut off or access was prohibited for these fixtures. The City is currently awaiting the results of testing to confirm the lead levels for these identified fixtures.

The final report from the district-wide testing was received by the City late Tuesday, May 31, 2016. As noted, a second round of confirmation tests in the schools for the five fixtures that exceeded lead levels as well as results from ongoing testing of drinking water fixtures at public parks and libraries is expected in the coming weeks.

Once all results are available and confirmed, the next step will be to determine the source of the lead in any fixtures confirmed to have exceeded allowable lead levels and to either repair or replace them or otherwise remediate the issue. Potential sources of lead in these fixtures may include the fixture itself, the soldering, or the local connecting pipes.

“Providing safe, quality drinking water for our students and school staff is an absolute priority, and if the testing requirements set by our federal and state environmental agencies are not refined enough to catch all unacceptable lead levels in our school drinking water, we will have to consider establishing more rigorous testing requirements of our own. We will work with the schools to ensure that every identified issue is addressed and that our school drinking water remains safe for our students and staff,” said Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone.

“I’d like to thank DPW for coordinating this important testing for us. Access to safe drinking water is a core resource that our students, staff and families should be able to count on. I’m glad that we have the results of this testing so that we can ensure every fixture in our schools meets safe drinking water standards because even one water fountain that exceeds levels is too many,” said Mary Skipper Superintendent of Schools.

More Information & Public Meeting

It is the City and School’s desire with this announcement to share this information without delay. All results will be posted to the City of Somerville and Somerville Public Schools websites along with additional information as soon as possible. An FAQ with answers to related questions is also in progress.

The Somerville Department of Health and the Somerville Public Schools will host an informational meeting for parents and the public at the West Somerville Neighborhood School at 177 Powder House Blvd. on Thursday, June 9, at 6:30 p.m. All are welcome.

To get answers to your questions prior to the meeting, please feel free to contact the Director of Health and Human Services, Doug Kress, at 617-625-6600 x4310 or dkress@somervillema.gov.

For more general information on lead in drinking water, please visit the Massachusetts Department of Environmental website athttp://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/water/drinking/lead-in-drinking-water.html.