Initial Water Testing Report for Pine Tree
March 24, 2021
Dear Pine Tree parents and guardians,
In 2016, a law went into effect requiring testing of all school sources of water that are “currently used or potentially used for drinking or cooking purposes.” School districts are required to report the results of all water testing to the state Department of Health, the state Education Department and the local health department, and to post the results – along with remediation plans, if required – on the official district website.
The school district has received results of recent testing conducted on a sampling of kitchen, bathroom and classroom sinks at Pine Tree Elementary School. Of the 130 sources tested on February 26, 2021, 111 were found to exceed the action level of 15 micrograms of lead per liter, typically referred to as “parts per billion (ppb),” as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to the EPA, lead enters drinking water primarily from eroding materials that
contain lead such as faucets, fittings and pipes.
We believe the higher than normal levels are due to the school being vacant for consecutive months during the height of the pandemic, and then less populated for prolonged periods as hybrid learning resumed. The district will flush the systems and then have the levels retested in the next few weeks. Attached is a list of sources that exceeded the action level.
All affected sources of water at these areas have been posted with “Do Not Drink” signs. In addition, the district has provided water coolers to ensure there is sufficient drinking water available for all students and staff.
Additional information about water testing can be found on the Water Testing page of our district website. As always, we are committed to maintaining a safe environment for all students and staff and will keep you apprised after retesting is conducted.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 460-6900.
Sincerely,
Bryan Giudice
Principal