SDOC Releases Results from Participation in the Lead Testing In Schools & Child Care Centers Program
The School District of Oconee County is one of the first districts in South Carolina to participate in the voluntary Lead Testing in Schools and Child Care Centers Program. This DHEC program is authorized and funded under the EPA’s Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act and provides free water lead testing to schools and child care programs across the state.
Testing was conducted in December 2022 and January 2023 at all seven buildings within the district built before 1986, the year Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act to prohibit the use of pipes, solder or flux that were not “lead free” in public water systems or plumbing in facilities providing water for human consumption. Samples were taken from all water taps commonly used for drinking and cooking.
The district received results on Thursday, March 16th. Of the 150 samples taken across seven buildings, five came back showing lead amounts slightly above the recommended “actionable” level of 0.015 mg/L set by the program. All five taps are water fountains located at West-Oak High School. Those fountains were immediately closed and will remain closed until they have been replaced with new fixtures and have been retested. In addition, all buildings involved in the program will begin proactive “flushing” of water taps used for drinking and cooking. Flushing is a strategy that can improve overall water quality by ensuring water is regularly moving through fixtures and decreasing the length of time water is sitting in a pipe.
Mr. Steve Hanvey, Associate Superintendent, said, “As a district, we want to ensure the safety of our students, which includes the quality of our water. Of course we would prefer for none of our results to show elevated levels of lead, but overall we are in good shape as a district. Studies show that water sitting in pipes can lead to elevated lead levels. We know our water fountains aren’t used like they used to be, especially since the kids were used to them being closed during the height of COVID. We will make the needed updates at West-Oak High and begin using the flushing strategy there and at other schools to improve the overall water quality in our buildings.”
To learn more about the Lead Testing in Schools and Child Care Centers Program and for DHEC resources concerning lead, please visit: https://scdhec.gov/bow/lead-testing-schools-child-care-programs