Lead-In-Water (LIW) Sampling Project
Douglas County School District (DCSD), in partnership with our water source providers, proactively launched a massive effort in December 2017 to test water fixtures in all schools and staff support sites.
The majority of buildings in DCSD are relatively new, with most schools built after 1990. This is important because a 1986 federal law limits the use of lead in plumbing. Some older Colorado homes, schools and other buildings could still have old pipes or fixtures containing lead.
RELATED: Want to learn how to reduce exposure to lead in your home? Check out these tips from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The partnership team developed a water sampling protocol using both federal and state guidance to sample the drinking water. For all sites built before 1990, samples were taken from all drinking water fixtures including drinking water fountains, bottle fillers, classroom sinks (where students may fill water bottles), kitchen sinks, etc. At buildings constructed after 1990, samples were taken from 10 percent of the drinking water fixtures.
Lead is measured by the number of parts per billion (ppb). The Environmental Protection Agency recommends action be taken if lead levels are more than 20 ppb. However, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) strongly recommends that all water fixtures in schools that provide water for drinking or cooking meet a standard of 15 ppb of lead or less. A way to visualize 1 ppb in water is to think of it as one drop in one billion drops of water.
The DCSD water sampling project used a threshold of 15 ppb or less (0.015). A total of 1,565 samples were tested at DCSD schools and staff support sites. The overwhelming majority of samples (96.4%) came back below the 15 ppb threshold following the first test and required no further action. Following a second round of validation testing, another 1.9% were found to be below the threshold.
The remaining fixtures were removed, or replaced and tested again to ensure acceptable levels were present. The majority of the remaining fixtures which required attention were sinks found in science rooms.
This proactive project was made possible thanks to the strong partnership between DCSD and the local water municipalities in Douglas County. Whether they made a monetary donation or provided staff to help complete the project, all came together to ensure a healthy environment for our students and staff.
Please select a school below to view the most recent water test results for that building.