School to replace fixtures with elevated lead levels

Thirty-six water fixtures in Hedges Elementary School in Kalispell that had elevated levels of lead are slated for replacement before school starts in August, based on drinking water test results.

Water samples from these fixtures showed lead concentration levels of 6 up to 31 parts per billion (ppb). A total of 58 samples were taken from school fixtures that provide drinking water and water used for cooking such as fountains and sinks.

Under a state rule to reduce lead levels in schools’ drinking water, which went into effect in January, Montana schools are required to test all fixtures that may “reasonably provide water for human consumption or for food preparation,” such as drinking fountains, water bottle refill stations and sinks.

Schools must take action when lead concentration levels are at a threshold of 5 to 15 ppb.

“Five parts per billion is the action level,” said Greg Montgomery, the lead in schools drinking water rule manager for the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. He also oversees the Lead Reduction in Schools’ Drinking Water program.

“Five parts per billion is essentially five gallons in a billion-gallon pool; that’s how I visualize it. It’s hard to wrap your mind around because concentration is so small.”

In Hedges, 10 water fixtures that were at, or above, a lead concentration level of 15 parts per billion must immediately be removed and remediation and re-sampling must occur before people can use it under the state rule.

For the remaining 26 fixtures that tested at, or above, 5 ppm, the school may continue using the water fixture until remediation occurs, but only if it is flushed daily. The school has opted to replace these water fixtures, however, there are other remediation options such as replacing a water filter, if applicable, to reduce lead.

Twenty-two fixtures tested don’t require remediation or additional monitoring since samples showed concentration levels below 5 ppb.

Hedges is the first Montana school to receive lead testing results under the rule, according to the DEQ.

The drinking water testing mandate is part of broader revisions to the Administrative Rules of Montana regarding school health that were adopted by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. The rules haven’t been updated since 1986, the year the federal Safe Drinking Water Act was amended.

Previously, testing drinking water for lead was voluntary for Montana schools that received water from regulated public water systems and there are no federal laws. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations used for testing municipal water supplies require action be taken when concentrations levels reach a maximum of 15 ppb. Water samples to determine concentration levels include taps in residences, but do not include schools under the federal Lead and Copper Rule.

The presence of lead in drinking water, however, is primarily an internal plumbing issue when pipes, faucets or fixtures containing lead, corrode. If water is corrosive and it sits in plumbing with lead solder, for example, lead may leach into the water. How corrosive water is may also change over time. Temperature and amount of wear in pipes also factor into corrosion.

One example of how lead concentration levels can vary widely between fixtures is a Hedges classroom with an adjacent drinking fountain and sink. The sink had the highest lead concentration level in the building at 31 ppb, while the drinking fountain tested 7 ppb.

Tina Malkuch of Safewater Testing Simplified conducted the tests and said the water fixtures with the highest levels of lead concentration according to the state rule were in construction that dates to the 1950s. The school was built in 1929.

While the presence of lead in pipes, fixtures and solder is more likely in buildings constructed before 1986 amendments to the Safe Water Drinking Act, newer construction is also at risk of contamination when “lead-free” plumbing could legally contain up to 8% of the heavy metal, according to the EPA, until 2011. In 2011, that amount was reduced to 0.25% through the Reduction of Lead In Drinking Water Act.

In Hedges, lead was present in new construction. Three sinks in a makerspace built in recent years showed concentration levels of 6 ppb in two sinks and 10 ppb in a third sink.

Young children and infants are more vulnerable to lead than adults and may experience physical and behavioral effects at lower exposure levels. The EPA estimates up to 20% of a person’s total exposure to lead may come from drinking water and accumulates over time. Lead is also found in soil, dust, food and consumer products. Lead is a health concern when it is ingested and is not absorbed through the skin if a person washes their hands.

Without an established standard for what a “safe” level of lead in schools’ drinking water, the EPA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agree that “no safe blood lead level in children has been identified,” and even a low level of lead in a child’s blood could lead to behavior, learning, IQ, growth, hearing and hyperactivity issues. Exposure has also been linked to damage in the brain, kidneys, liver and bones, according to the EPA, CDC and World Health Organization.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the nonprofit Environment Montana Research and Policy Center recommend setting the bar at 1 ppb.

However, there are limits to detection and testing accuracy. The testing method used to determine how much lead is in the water is not reliably accurate below 5 ppb, according to the Department of Environmental Quality, which is why the state set this threshold as the action level ,in addition to considering the health effects of lead exposure in children.

In regard to funding, a total of $722,000 in federal money will be used to cover testing costs. Montana started receiving the federal funds, which are being dispersed over four years, in 2018-19.

When it comes to remediation costs, Montgomery said DEQ is working with the Montana Office of Public Instruction to set up a $40,000 grant program. He said the grant program “should be up and running really soon.”

There are 823 schools in Montana, but that number does not translate to the actual number of individual buildings. There could be separate buildings for elementary, middle and high school grades, but that is not always the case in rural areas where a school district may have different grade configurations housed in one or two buildings. Additionally, school districts may have other buildings that need to be tested, such as a administrative and transportation offices or a central kitchen, such as Kalispell Public Schools.

Hedges is one of 14 buildings scheduled for testing in the school district. Currently, the district is awaiting testing results from Rankin Elementary, the district’s newest K-5 school. Peterson Elementary will be tested Friday. Testing is expected to be completed in the four remaining elementary schools by summer’s end.

High school and remaining district facilities will be tested next summer. The reason water sampling is done in the summer is due to quality control of the extensive testing.

Montana schools have a December 2021 deadline to test drinking water. Schools are then required to test drinking water for lead once every three years if levels are below the action threshold. Results will be made public as they become available.

As part of the rule, schools are also required to flush water systems if a school has been inactive for more than three days, which has been shown to improve water quality by removing stagnant water that may contain higher concentrations.

For complete lead testing results in Hedges Elementary visit https://www.sd5.k12.mt.us/Content2/lead-water.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.