Several schools test above EPA’s allowable limit of lead
This year, the Mt. Laurel School District wasted no time complying with a new, statewide mandate under which all public school districts in New Jersey must test water outlets in their schools for the presence of lead.
From September through December, the district tested Hillside Elementary, Countyside Elementary, Parkway Elementary and Fleetwood Elementary, with several schools having outlets testing above the EPA’s allowable limit of lead.
The district chose to start with those four buildings, as those were the district’s oldest operating schools and were all built before the mid-1980s. In 1986, Congress required that no lead be used in the manufacturing of plumbing materials used in the construction of new water service lines such as pipes.
With the most recent tests conducted at Fleetwood and Parkway, lead was detected in only one of Parkway’s 12 water sources and no lead was detected in any of the 13 water sources at Fleetwood.
At Hillside Elementary, the school’s three oldest drinking fountains originally tested for lead above the EPA’s allowable limit. In response, the district replaced two of the fountains and removed the remaining fountain permanently. In re-testing, the two remaining fountains showed no presence of lead.
For Countryside Elementary, only one fountain at the school tested above the allowable limit for lead, and while it was replaced, that new fountain still produced samples above the EPA’s limit during re-testing.
According to the district, the fountain will continue to be monitored and flushed until it complies with the EPA standards.
