The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation recently made the decision to participate in a voluntary state program to test water fixtures in all EVSC school buildings for lead levels. This voluntary program was offered to all Indiana public schools through the Indiana Finance Authority. The purpose of the testing was to identify water fixtures with lead content that exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s “action level†of 15 parts per billion (ppb).
“When this opportunity presented itself, we felt it was something we wanted to do to ensure our water fixtures are safe for students and staff,†said EVSC Superintendent David Smith.
All fixtures in all EVSC school buildings were tested through this program. This resulted in a total of 1,538 fixtures being tested. The results of the tests showed 96 percent of these fixtures fell within the safe lead level range, well below the EPA recommended action level. The remaining fixtures have been replaced, repaired or taken out of service. Once replaced/repaired, fixtures are retested to verify they remain below the EPA recommended level. It is important to note the action level of 15 ppb is not a measure of health effects, but rather serves as a signal to take steps to reduce lead in the water.
“We appreciate the opportunity to participate in this program and I would like to personally thank the EVSC Office of Facilities for working so closely with the Indiana Finance Authority to ensure all our fixtures are safe,†Smith said.
