Area schools grapple with lead testing, cost of remediation

Most schools testing drinking water for lead under a new state rule show elevated levels of the heavy metal, which is toxic to humans.

About 78% of schools that finished testing have at least one fixture exceeding lead concentration levels of 5 parts per billion (ppb) and must be replaced, removed or flushed daily until fixed, according to the rule, which went into effect in January 2020.

Around half of the schools had at least one fixture with high levels of lead exceeding 15 ppb, which requires immediate disconnection or removal.

Under the rule, schools are required to test all fountains, sinks and other fixtures (water bottle fill stations, for example) used for drinking or food preparation. As of April 6, 340 of 590 school buildings across the state have submitted results to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and about 10,900 water samples have been collected.

The process has been a lengthy one with a steep learning curve.

There are still some schools in Flathead, Lake and Lincoln counties that are either still in the process of testing, or haven’t started, missing the Dec. 31, 2021 deadline. Schools that missed the deadline do not face any penalties.

Schools that have not yet submitted results to the state in Flathead County include Glacier Gateway Elementary in Columbia Falls, which is awaiting results. As for Lake County, results for the Arlee Schools, Two Eagle River High School and Dayton School, which is still testing, remain outstanding. And in Lincoln County, Fortine School, Libby Elementary, Libby Middle High School and Plummer Preschool Center lack results. The latter three buildings are in the midst of testing.

“Every school is different. I know a lot of it is short staffing with Covid. It hasn’t been highest on the priority list — Covid came first,” said Greg Montgomery of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Montgomery is the Lead in School Drinking Water rule manager.

In the case of Glacier Gateway, the delay came when the opening the new building currently under construction was pushed to December. Columbia Falls School District Superintendent Dave Wick said the district followed the state’s suggestion to go ahead and test the existing building, which has been completed.

“We’re just waiting for the results and we’ll mitigate what we need to,” Wick said.

WITH NO federal laws requiring testing of drinking water in schools or childcare facilities, a growing number of states are recognizing the serious health effects of lead in developing children. Lead levels in drinking water gained national attention in 2014 with the Flint, Michigan public health crisis.

The Environmental Protection Agency (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.

Montana’s rule was part of revisions to Administrative Rules of Montana related to school health adopted by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. The rules had gone without an update since 1986, the year the federal Safe Drinking Water Act was amended.

Prior to the rule, testing was voluntary and schools relied on regulated public water system testing. However, the presence of lead in drinking water is primarily an internal plumbing issue when lead-containing pipes, faucets or solder, corrode. How corrosive water is may change over time. Temperature and pipe wear may factor into those changes, for example.

Montana is one of 17 states and Washington, D.C., to make testing mandatory, according to a report featured in a 2021 issue of Education Leaders Report, a National Association of State Boards of Education publication. Of those states, 13 require mitigation at certain lead concentration levels. Twenty-three states have voluntary lead testing programs.

Among the states listed in the report, mitigation action levels varied from as low as 1 ppb as high as 20 ppb although the most common action levels were 5 ppb and 15 ppb.

Despite no established standard for 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.” Even a low level of lead in a child’s blood could cause behavior, learning, IQ, growth, hearing and hyperactivity issues. Exposure is linked to damage in the brain, kidneys, liver and bones, according to the EPA, CDC and World Health Organization.

EPA regulations used for testing municipal water supplies require action be taken when concentrations levels reach a maximum of 15 ppb in 10% of taps tested, to control corrosion. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 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 DEQ, which is why the state has set the action level at 5 ppb.

“Why we went with 5 ppb — it’s the lowest level labs can accurately measure without a lot of errors built into it,” Montgomery said.

ONE OF the highest lead concentration levels among schools that have tested in Flathead, Lake and Lincoln counties was a sink marked as “other” in Polson High School. The water sample from this sink showed a lead concentration level of 1,180 ppb.

“Fixtures with really high numbers like that are representative of stagnant water,” Montgomery said. “Some that were really high were utility sinks that didn’t have to be sampled because kids don’t have access to them to drink, but for whatever reason, some schools chose to sample them.”

Flathead High School in Kalispell had a water sample show a lead concentration level of 929 ppb, which came from a sink in a science storage room that has gone unused for years Flathead Principal Michele Paine said.

Fixtures with lead concentration levels exceeding 15 ppb have consistently been found in classroom and bathroom sinks. At the other spectrum, the majority of water bottle fill stations show imperceptible levels of lead.

In addition to testing and remediation, Montana schools must take inventory of fixtures and plumbing and provide images of their locations under the rule.

Libby Public Schools, which is still in the process of testing, has identified at least 400 fixtures to test, said district Superintendent Ron Goodman, who was new to the district when the rule went into effect.

“We’re going to be finishing our mapping process — identifying fixtures that need to be tested — probably halfway through April and we’ll continue testing after that,” Goodman said. “Nobody wants lead. I know making sure kids are not exposed to lead is important. We’ll be working as fast as we can now.”

In the meantime, Goodman said he’s sent out information to families on strategies to avoid lead whether at school or at home.

“Let water run a little bit before drinking; get water where it runs frequently. We also have bottle water filling stations in all schools with filters,” he said.

When it comes time to do remediation, Goodman said the district decided to put off some building and grounds projects to have money available to cover costs.

REMEDIATION CAN prove costly.

DEQ is covering the cost of water sampling through a $722,000 EPA grant. Initially, DEQ was reimbursing schools for testing costs, but has since extended that to cover required follow-up testing in fixtures that are replaced as funding remains available.

In regard to remediation costs, DEQ and the Montana Office of Public Instruction partnered to set up a $40,000 grant program, providing up to $1,000 to schools that applied on a first-come-first-serve basis. This funding source is nearly depleted, save for a few thousand dollars. Schools that do receive $1,000 find it doesn’t go far.

In small, or rural districts with one building, state aid may cover the cost, but for districts with multiple buildings, or larger buildings, it adds up.

“It doesn’t honestly go very far, but it depends,” Montgomery said. “If schools only have to replace one or two fixtures it would cover costs. You can also get quite a few filters.”

Montgomery said there are other sources of revenue available to schools.

“For water bottle fill stations, schools can use CARES Act money because they are hands-free, which limits transmission while also beneficial for reducing lead because they are new and most have built-in filters,” he said.

Low-interest loans have been suggested as another option.

Polson School District is looking at yet another funding source to cover remediation costs — bonds. Polson Superintendent Mike Cutler, estimates the district has spent $4,000 in remediation costs up to this point, which for the most part, involved replacing filters and some faucets. The hope is to replace all fixtures that didn’t meet state requirements through high school and elementary bonds totaling $49 million that will be on the May ballot. If approved, the bonds will pay for renovation and expansion of the district’s elementary schools and the high school.

West Valley School District has also spent nearly $4,000, which bought 59 filter replacements installed by maintenance staff. Maintenance staff have played an integral role in the inventory and remediation process for schools.

Evergreen School District, which has spent $15,000 in remediation, discovered that replacement doesn’t always solve the problem of elevated lead levels.

“A big difficulty we’re having is finding products that manufacturers will guarantee will meet Montana’s strict standards,” Evergreen Superintendent Laurie Barron said.

Barron said 103 fixtures were tested in East Evergreen Elementary with 36 samples exceeding 15 ppb.

“We removed 19 drinking fountains. We replaced 16 classroom faucets. We installed 19 filters. We’re still trying to address 22. Of those new classroom faucets, three of those still failed to meet the standards,” Barron said. “So far, the manufacturer is unwilling to replace them.

There may be a couple of reasons why lead levels remained high after new faucets were installed.

“If sample results from a new fixture exceeds the action, it could indicate that its coming from the plumbing or if it’s a low concentration (5 or 6 ppb) in some cases it still could be from the new fixture,” Montgomery said. “New ‘lead free’ fixtures still could contain lead just at very low levels. Sometimes it can be difficult to determine the exact source of lead.”

At Evergreen Jr. High and Crossroads School, 19 fixtures had lead concentration levels exceeding 15 ppb, according to the district, and will be replaced.

The district reported the results recently in a letter to families stating “all drinking fountains in the district currently meet safe drinking standards.”

Sinks that do not meet the standards have been posted with signs the water is not for drinking.

“It is a very lengthy, time-consuming and expensive process, but we are committed to meeting this guideline,” she said. “Our priority is student and staff safety, but hopefully the state will provide some funding for these repairs.”

Once tests show lead concentration levels below 5 ppb, routine sampling should occur every three years.

*Editor's note: This article was updated April 11 to remove Muldown Elementary from the list of schools that did not submit results by the deadline. Muldown did meet deadline. The list sent to the Inter Lake by the DEQ was not current.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 406-758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.