During the month of December, New York State tested school districts across Long Island finding lead in the drinking water. High levels of lead were found in 707 school buildings across Long Island, 44% of the school districts in the region. This affected twenty school districts in Nassau County and 43 in Suffolk County, including the Port Washington Union Free School District.
For the 2022 school year, the state decreased the acceptable levels of lead that could be present in the drinking water, which resulted in many of these schools being over the limit. Acceptable levels were lowered from 15 parts per billion to five parts per billion.
“School districts in New York have the strictest lead in water requirements exceeding all federal, commercial and residential requirements,” said Director of Facilities Mr. Brian Graham.
Due to the large amount of affected school districts, the state has put a remediation plan in place. Typically, lead is found in individual water fixtures like sinks or other specific faucets, but not in the overall plumbing system. According to the plan, the district must shut down the individual outlet, fix the source and then retest the water before reopening that outlet.
Every source of water in the district received testing, and came back saying that drinking fountains, water coolers, and bottle-filling stations are all safe to drink from. Most of the drinking water was tested at below one part per billion. This means all of the drinkable water tested under five parts per billion in lead. The higher levels of lead were found in bathroom sinks, custodial sinks, and classroom faucets.
Some students however, are still concerned about the safety of the water.
“The safety of our drinking water is extremely important as I want to feel safe to drink the water. I don’t think the water is safe right now. The taste of the water is most alarming and it’s hard to drink because of the really bad taste,” said sophomore Zach Arlow.
The water was tested over an eight hour still period and then had to be tested by a state-certified laboratory. Tests were done for every source of water in the school, including sinks, water fountains, hoses, and more.
Testing for lead in drinking water is extremely important. Lead can have severe effects on children by limiting their growth, and causing learning difficulties or damage to their brains. It also affects adults by leading to heart issues and kidney damage. Symptoms may not be immediate, but can develop in the long term.
“The Port Washington School District remains committed to providing safe drinking water for all students and staff. We are fully compliant with all NYS State lead regulations and continue to implement industry best practices,” said Mr. Graham.
Other schools across Long Island aren’t worrying about this as the state has tested for lead in the water for years now, according to the Farmingdale Superintendent Paul Defendini in an interview with NBC4 New York. However, all schools had to notify all parents and guardians about the issue. Districts such as Farmingdale are closing some of the older water fountains in the buildings. One school that refuted the state’s testing was Connetquot High School, who said there was an error in the state’s database.
“It’s pretty important that the water is safe because I need to hydrate and refill my water for sports. I trust the people in our district to keep the drinking water safe,” said sophomore Ben Lubetsky who often fills up his water bottle once a day.