Delaware’s Water Testing Program
Factsheet for Parents - Lead Screening
Information Sheet for Families
Delaware’s school drinking water testing program
has returned new results for Capital School District buildings.
The recent results are for Hartly Elementary School, North Dover Elementary School, South Dover Elementary School, Towne Point Elementary School,
East Dover Elementary School, Fairview Elementary School, Central Middle School, Booker T. Washington Elementary School, KCSILC, William Henry Middle School, and Kent County Community School.
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The testing found an elevated lead level at one location at Hartly Elementary School.
This water source has been turned off.
The Capital School District will pursue remediation efforts to address the issue.
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The testing found elevated lead levels in thirteen locations at North Dover Elementary School.
All identified locations have been turned off.
The Capital School District will pursue remediation efforts to address the issue.
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The testing found an elevated lead level at one location in South Dover Elementary School.
This water source has been turned off.
The Capital School District will pursue remediation efforts to address the issue.
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The testing found elevated lead levels in eighteen locations at Towne Point Elementary School.
All identified locations have been turned off.
The Capital School District will pursue remediation efforts to address the issue.
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The testing found an elevated lead level at one location at East Dover Elementary School. This water source has been turned off. The Capital School District will pursue remediation efforts to address the issue. Water bottle filling stations showed no detectable level of lead.
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The testing found elevated lead levels in thirteen locations at Fairview Elementary School. Most of the identified water sources are used for washing and not for eating or drinking. All identified locations have been turned off or labeled “NOT FOR DRINKING OR COOKING”. The water bottle filling station showed no detectable level of lead.
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The testing found an elevated lead level at one location in Kent County Community School. It is a water source that is not used for eating or drinking. This faucet has been turned off. The Capital School District will pursue remediation efforts to address the issue. KCCS water fountains showed no detectable level of lead.
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The testing found an elevated lead level at one location in Central Middle School. This water source has been turned off. The Capital School District will pursue remediation efforts to address the issue.
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The testing found an elevated lead level at one location at Booker T. Washington Elementary School. This water source has been turned off. The Capital School District will pursue remediation efforts to address the issue.
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The testing found elevated lead levels at two kitchen sinks at KCSILC; these sinks are not used for consumption or food prep. These water sources have signs to indicate they are not for drinking. The Capital School District will pursue remediation efforts to address the issue.
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The testing found elevated lead levels at seven locations at William Henry Middle School. All identified locations have been turned off. The Capital School District will pursue remediation efforts to address the issue.
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The testing found an elevated lead level at one location in KCCS at William Henry middle School. This water source has been turned off. The Capital School District will pursue remediation efforts to address the issue.
The Capital School District will develop a comprehensive and coordinated long-term plan that addresses drinking water issues.
More detailed results may be found at de.gov/schoolwater.
Background
The State of Delaware is actively working with federal and local partners to ensure all Delaware children and school staff have safe and clean drinking water.
With the help of a grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Delaware Department of Education (DOE) with support from the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) began a sampling initiative in Delaware schools in October 2020 to identify the levels of lead within the drinking water system.
During COVID-19 building closures, initial lead sampling tested buildings that had extended periods of stagnant water.
During this time, non-consumption water points were tested that are not expected sources of exposure for school communities.
DOE announced last month that it has contracted with a private firm, Batta Environmental Associates, Inc.
, a Newark-based environmental consultant, to retest all fixtures that initially tested at 7.5 ppb (0.0075 mg/L) or higher and all consumption points at schools statewide.
In December, Batta began resampling, which is anticipated to take several months to complete.
Results are being shared with the respective superintendents, charter leaders and facility leads as they are received from Batta and LEAs will be sharing results and any next steps with their respective communities.
Results and updates will also be posted on de.gov/schoolwater.
Currently, all fixtures that previously tested at or above 7.5 ppb (0.0075 mg/L) were either turned off or have signage that notes the water was not for consumption, as confirmed by school representatives and state survey teams.
As resampling progresses, members of the school community may notice additional fixtures are turned off, replaced, or may notice filters being installed to reduce lead exposure in schools.
All steps of removal, remediation, and replacement will be communicated.
DOE, along with a contracted subject matter expert from Johns Hopkins University, will work with DPH in providing technical support and guidance to schools and charters as they respond to any additional elevated levels of lead.
As stated above, the State of Delaware is actively working with federal and local partners to ensure all Delaware children and school staff have safe and clean drinking water.
According to the CDC, many sources can contribute to elevated blood lead levels including paint, soil, and drinking water.
If you think that you or your child may have been exposed to lead, you should seek guidance from a medical provider.
How long it takes to return an elevated blood lead level depends on the weight of the person, the amount of exposure from actually touching lead down to lead in dust, and other factors.
In general, it takes repeated, ongoing exposure to create an elevated blood lead level.