Lead in Drinking Water in Schools

A project of the Region 1 Water Technical Unit, Drinking Water Enforcement Team, Mass DEP/DPH and BPHC Presented to the National Partnership Summit, Atlanta GeorgiaGina Snyder, EPA Region 1 and byYvette DePeiza, MassDEP

EPA New England Project to prevent exposure of school children to lead in DW

Two-part Presentation, EPA and MassDEPEPA: Review: Boston Public School System (BPS) Sample: BPS kitchens Survey: Boston Private Schools (BPHC) Sample: Boston Private Schools MassDEP : Massachusetts Schools and Child

Care program

Program Impetus

Region 3 findings in Philadelphia Schools (1999)

Region 2 findings in New York Schools (2002)

Boston water system Lead Action Level (2002)

No information on Boston Schools

The Concept

Coordinate a strategy to

evaluate lead in DW in schools in Boston with:– Massachusetts Departments:

Environmental Protection Public Health

– Boston Public Schools– Boston Public Health Commission– MWRA and BWSC

What we knew

Mass DEP information campaigns and LCR results in schools

Mass DEP/DPH data gathering under SDWA LCCA

BPHC relations with schools

Blood Lead levels for Boston children

Lead

Lead Concentrations in Boston Schools, 1990

Maximum Lead Concen. Boston 1990

0.000

2.000

4.000

6.000

8.000

10.000

1 5 9 13 17 21 25 29 33 37 41 45 49 53 57

schools, sorted

ppm

lead

Series1

What we found

BPS sampling data for many years~ 80 of 148 schools with data ranging from 1988 to 1990; 139 operating schools with data from 1990 to current

Lead level set at Lead and Copper Rule level(15 ppb rather than EPA guidance level of 20 ppb)

Any sample above action level = DW disconnect

Bottled water program

Data Gaps

Bottled water program– Audits in Dorchester

KitchensSome schools with kitchens

in use, no sampling

Filling in Data Gaps

Sampling of Kitchens

Region 1 OEME28 schools2 > A/L after flushing

School Department additional 10 schoolsA Flushing Program was begun in 2004

PR: EPA and Boston School Department Announce Results of School Drinking Water Project

Private School Sampling Program with Boston Public Health Commission

BPHC Survey June EPA and BPHC review September-

October Solicit participation November –

small Independent Private Schools OECA funded QAPP and sampling December sample January Results February Summary Meeting

Results

16 elementary schools

Over 230 samples

Nine schools > A/L

17 locations

Outcomes - Continuing

Flushing programs Bottled water policy Posting at faucets Publicity Awareness

Outcomes - Continuing

LSLR MassDEP Child

Cares program Continued Survey/

outreach School Sampling

Pause for questions

snyder.gina@epa.gov

617-918-1837

Massachusetts Department Of Environmental Protection

(MassDEP)

Yvette DePeiza

National Environmental Partnership Summit

Atlanta Georgia May 8-11, 2006.

Reducing Lead in school and childcare drinking water

Childcare facilities project

Schools outreach program

Using the PWS program to facilitating assistance to schools and child care facilities

MA lead action level is 0.015mg/l

Objectives- Childcare

Free lead sampling and analysis to child care facilities.

Develop curriculum to teach undergraduates.

Provide guidance and mitigation strategies to childcare facilities that exceed the MA lead action level.

Partners

MassDEP Worcester State College

(WSC) New England Interstate

Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC)

EPA New England

Project coordinated with:MA Dept. of Early childhood

Education

Project steps

MassDEP trained WSC students

WSC student team contact child care facilities.– Mailed postcards about the project to 200

child care facilities

Project Steps – cont’d

25 child care facilities agreed to participate in the project.

WSC student did the following: – Developed all materials with MassDEP oversight.– Collected samples. – Discussed possible results and action plan if lead

levels exceeded the MA lead action level.  – Delivered samples to the lab.

• MassDEP and WSC students discussed results with each child care facility and encouraged future sampling.

Childcare Results

Four (16 %)  of the twenty-five child care facilities had at least one sample that exceeded the MA lead action level.

Twenty-one (84 %) of the twenty-five child care facilities had no detected amounts or had levels below the MA lead action level.

Child care facilities exceeding the MA lead action level

Child care

1st Draw ppb

2nd Draw ppb

(2 mins)

Duplicate ppb

3rd Draw ppb

(5 mins)

RemediationMeasure

Child care #1

17 3.2 n/a 3.3 Bottled Water

Child care #2

16 2.6 n/a 2.3 Flushing Procedure

Child care #3

17 4.9 n/a 2.9 Flushing Procedure

Child care #4

10 84 21 10 Bottled Water

Project Outcomes

Childcare facility owners and staff were educated about lead in drinking water.

  WSC developed a program curriculum

on lead in drinking water.

The project can be adapted for any community. 

MassDEP working with schools

Partners MassDEP Mass Department of Public Health Mass Department of Education EPA Local health Department e.g. Boston

Health Commission

Objectives - working with schools

Evaluate each school.

Provide training to school officials.

Require corrective action.

Encourage local public water systems to work with their school districts and childcare facilities.

Steps

Survey of 1030 public schools

Provide training seminars and assistance

Send notices to all schools with sampling results that are over the MA action level for lead and copper.

Results

(53.2 %) of the public schools responded as of January 1, 2006.

(60.9%) schools reported that the taps they used for drinking or cooking purposes met the MA lead action level.

(39.1%) reported that they had identified and corrected problems or were correcting problems.

Results

(36%) of the schools submitted lab results.

(17%) schools submitting laboratory data reported at least one sampling point in the school that exceeded either the lead action level and/ or the copper action level.

What have we learned so far?

Many schools/school districts have been testing their water through out the last 15 years.

The survey prompted some schools to identify and correct problems prior to returning the survey.

Schools want to address identified problems. No enforcement is necessary

Next steps

Survey the rest of the schools.

Provide a final report to Mass Department of Public Health, Mass Department of Education, and EPA.

Encourage our partners to follow-up on all non- responders or questionable data.

Other tools used by MassDEP

Include school drinking water lead sampling and remediation as Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEP) in enforcement cases.

Issue Awards during Drinking Water Week to schools and public water systems or other partnerships working to abate lead in school drinking water.

Other tools used by MassDEP – cont’d

Facilitating PWS outreach to schools and child care facilities in the following programs.

– PWS Lead and copper sampling program. – PWS sanitary surveys

Use of Mass contract process to get low cost laboratory analysis.

For more information on MassDEP programs

Webhttp://www.mass.gov/dep/water/drinking/leadothe.htm

Email

Program.Director-DWP@state.ma.us Telephone

main # 617-292-5770

Yvette DePeiza

617-292-5857 Yvette.depeiza@state.ma.us