The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services has approved the next group of 20 elementary and secondary schools as the third sample of facilities to have water sources tested for elevated levels of lead.

At the same time, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is moving forward to accelerate the functions of its laboratory in order to process water samples more quickly and to permit more schools to be tested.

The school system has completed collecting samples from nearly 40 schools and will begin the third group of schools this Friday, April 30.

The next group of 20 schools includes the facilities and testing dates identified at right.