LIVERMORE FALLS — Test results for lead in 102 water fixtures in Regional School Unit 73 buildings show 15 with levels higher than 4 parts per billion.
Levels above 4 ppb exceed Maine guidelines under LD 153, An Act to Strengthen Testing for Lead in School Drinking Water. The state levels are stricter than the federal standard of 15 ppb.
In May, school was canceled for a day in Regional School Unit 9 when test results on fixtures used for drinking water and food preparation showed 54 of 117 (approximately 46%) contained elevated levels of lead. The Mt. Blue district has seven schools.
While the state deadline for testing was pushed back from May 31 to December, fixtures in all Spruce Mountain buildings were tested on April 14 during school vacation, Superintendent Scott Albert said in an automated release. The district must share results within five days of receipt and look for mitigating strategies going forward, he noted.
Results from the elementary school in Jay, primary school in Livermore and adult education building in Livermore Falls were shared June 8. Results from the middle and high schools in Jay were shared June 13.
The Maine CDC Water Program recommends testing water after it has not been run from the faucet for many hours, Albert said in an email Tuesday. “(Maintenance director) Ken (Vining) tested over vacation so the faucets he tested sat for many hours,” Albert noted. “Levels are different based on use of the faucet in some cases and then age of the faucet, and whether or not there is lead in the solder or fixtures.”
For all buildings, about 14.6% of fixtures tested above the recommended level of 4 ppb.
Of the 20 fixtures at the elementary school, seven tested between 4.4 and 9.0 ppb. The Room 4 nurse’s office sink had a level of 51 ppb while the art room sink tested at 54.3 ppb.
The 19 tests at the primary school showed the kitchen dish wash and rinse sink with a level of 18.9 ppb and the kitchen triple basin sink at 6.5 ppb. All other fixtures were below 4 ppb.
The three fixtures at the adult education building were all under 4 ppb as were the 43 at the middle school.
At the high school, four fixtures in the kitchen tested above 4 ppb with the other 13 below 4 ppb. The faucet over mixer B was 22.2 ppb, faucet over mixer A 19.2 ppb, triple basin sink B 4.6 ppb and the ice machine 4.2 ppb.
When asked, Albert said summer programs offered by the district will not be impacted as all meals will be packed lunches and not cooked from the high school. “There is no impact to the staff as long as they do not drink the water from the high test areas,” he noted.
“We will address all fixtures that tested over the recommended levels this summer,” Albert wrote. “Several will be capped off and done away with, others will receive new piping and fittings. They will all have a confirmation test performed.”
When asked if he had received any indication on why the nurse’s office and art room sinks at the elementary school tested above 50 ppb yet the rest of the school was all under 10 ppb, Albert responded, “It’s possible the faucets are older and haven’t been changed out, most likely lead solder in fittings and/or water sat in those lines stagnant for a longer time.”
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