PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS >  BROWSE

Two More Schools Found with Lead in Drinking Water

March 29, 2004
Flower Hill Elementary School and Takoma Park Elementary School -- the fourth and fifth schools tested thus far in the Montgomery County Public Schools -- both have been found with elevated levels of lead in school drinking water after water samples were analyzed by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC).

Of the 95 samples taken at Flower Hill Elementary, elevated levels of lead were found in 14 samples. The highest concentration was 145.5 parts per billion (ppb), compared to a standard of no more than 20 ppb. Of the 84 samples taken at Takoma Park Elementary, elevated levels of lead were found in nine samples. The highest concentration was 165.8 parts per billion (ppb).

Both schools are participating in the comprehensive safeguards implemented following the identification of elevated levels of lead in the drinking water at one school, a pattern that has been repeated in each of the tested results made available thus far for five schools (Maryvale, Gaithersburg, South Lake, Flower Hill, and Takoma Park elementary schools).

The safeguards include flushing all designated drinking water sources for 15 minutes every four hours, starting before children arrive for school in the morning and continuing throughout the day. These safeguards were developed by the school system and the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, consistent with guidelines from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

<<Back to browse