PETERBOROUGH – ConVal School District Superintendent Kimberly Rizzo Saunders and Facilities Director Tim Grossi wish to provide an update on the district’s efforts to mitigate lead levels in district drinking water, in accordance with the state’s Get the Lead Out program.
House Bill 1421 requires school districts and childcare facilities to conduct lead testing three times between 2019 and 2024. The first round of testing required action for samples that were over 15 parts per billion, while the second round requires action if levels are over five parts per billion (PPB).
“We are committed to acting proactively to identify potentially problematic drinking water sources and mitigating those concerns in the best interest of our students and in accordance with state law,” Superintendent Rizzo Saunders said. “Student and staff safety is our chief concern in doing this work, and we will continue working to ensure our drinking water is of the highest possible quality.”
One PPB is the equivalent of an ounce of water in 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools, or one dollar out of $1 billion.
During the district’s most recent round of testing for lead – the second since the law took effect – ConVal collected samples from all 552 potential drinking water sources across 11 schools, including classroom and bathroom faucets, kitchen sinks, drinking fountains and even some outdoor water sources, such as water spigots. Of those, 148 samples tested at or above the state threshold of five PPB, as set by the second round of testing criteria
Of these, 148 samples tested at or above five PPB, and the district has taken immediate action by posting signage near these sources indicating that the water should be used only for hand washing. It is safe to wash hands with this water, but drinking it is not recommended.
The district is exploring options for replacing or filtering the water sources identified as having tested above five PPB, and has already replaced fixtures at several potential water sources. Additionally, the district has replaced several water fountains with new filtered ones that serve as both traditional water fountains and bottle-fill stations.
For questions about ConVal’s work related to lead mitigation, please contact Director of Facilities Tim Grossi via email at tgrossi@conval.edu.
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