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Testing in 2023 revealed elevated lead levels at the Houston R-1 School District. Since then, the district has taken several measures to remediate issues.
During the 2023 Missouri Legislative Session, the “Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act” was passed. Beginning in the 2023-24 school year and for each subsequent school year, the act requires each school to provide drinking water with a lead concentration level below five parts per billion in sufficient amounts to meet the drinking water needs of all students and staff. This act is stricter than previous standards that required levels below 15 parts per billion.
On June 16, 2023, the elementary and early childhood center were tested, and seven fixtures came back with elevated levels. At the elementary, 19 samples were tested, and two came back with results of .006 and .39 mg/L, above the .005 reporting limit. At the early childhood center, six samples were tested and five came back with results of .007, .006, .005 and two at .008.
At the time, the school implemented a remediation plan of posting no drinking signs and scheduling flush retests. On July 13, the two buildings were retested, and only four of the seven samples were still above the reporting limit.
The items not in compliance were a dishwasher and water fountain at the elementary school and a kitchen sink and water fountain at the early childhood center.
The issues were remediated at the time with no drinking signs, shutting off the sink and by applying filters at problem taps. A retest will take place in the near future to determine the effectiveness of the remediation.
On Aug. 17, 2023, the district was tested as a whole, and 21 elevated levels were reported out of 45 tested samples. Results were as high as 120 ug/L, with the reporting limit at one. The school undertook remediation that involved posting no drinking signs, applying filters at problem taps and scheduling a retest.
On Nov. 3, 2023, results were still above the reporting limit of one, but the highest result was much lower at 15 ug/L.
It is important to note that the district had more fixtures tested than statutorily required, and several high levels — 17 out of 21 elevated samples — were from showers in district locker rooms, according to Superintendent Dr. Justin Copley.
After taking more steps to ensure the safety of students, the district will undergo another retest on Feb. 6, 2024.
All testing has been posted on the district website, social media and newsletter since July 2023, said the district. The testing results can be found at http://tinyurl.com/bdey7uyj.
The Licking School District sent email communication Wednesday, Jan. 31 to alert parents of similar issues at its facilities.