Back in March 2017, our district started voluntary water testing, which is a practice not commonly adopted by school districts across the state or nation.

Now, however, new regulation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires city and county government entities to take on the role of conducting water testing for any school districts who voluntarily undergo this process. We will work alongside Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, the City of Temple Terrace, and the City of Plant City as they now assume responsibility for this task in our schools.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Lead and Copper Rule Revisions requires city and county government entities to test 100% of facilities over a five-year period with a minimum of 20% of facilities per year.

However, our goal, in partnership with Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, the City of Temple Terrace, and the City of Plant City, is to complete all tap sampling requirements within two years.

Technicians from our district’s Sites and Utilities team will visit schools once testing materials are delivered by the respective city or county government entity. They will then collect a water sample from two drinking water fountains, one kitchen faucet used for food and drink prep, one classroom faucet, and one nurse’s office faucet. These samples are sent back to the local government entity for testing.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends the lead levels over 15 parts per billion be corrected in schools. As a precaution, we will address issues where samples test at 10 parts per billion or higher. One part per billion is equivalent to a single drop of water in 55,000 gallons.

See how one of our district’s technicians gathers water samples on YouTube.

Lead normally enters the drinking water from service lines, solder in copper piping, and brass faucet fixtures. These pipes and the solder used to connect them were often made with lead in them until recently, when laws changed to reduce the lead content in plumbing. Lead is not present in the drinking water that is sent to our schools from sources such as the City of Tampa.

We have hundreds of dedicated employees who work hard to maintain our schools, but our average campus age is 50 years old, and older pipes and fixtures do have a higher likelihood of adding lead to water.

Our protocol is to immediately shut down the affected fixture(s), correct the issue, and then retest the water to ensure the levels are in compliance before putting it back into service.

Options to correct an issue include replacing the fixture, adding water filters, or other plumbing projects. Alternative sources of water may be supplied to schools if needed.

Our district collects the samples and sends them to the respective city or county government entity, who are working with certified testing facilities that ensure their equipment is calibrated and works properly.

Lead exposure over long periods of time can cause health risks. While water is not the primary source of lead exposure among children, it is still a priority in our district to ensure all our schools are meeting the recommendations set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The safety of our students and staff is our number one priority. For more information about the effects of lead exposure on children, visit the EPA’s website.

We have posted the water results of the schools and sites tested so far and will add future results as we receive them on our district website at www.hillsboroughschools.org/watertesting.

Resources are available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (https://www.epa.gov/lead) and the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County (813-307-8000). You may also talk to your child’s doctor.

According to the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County, the risk is generally low from occasionally consuming water from these sources. If you have questions about your specific situation, talk to your health care provider about your concerns.

“Based on the levels found, someone would have to drink a lot of water for a long time to be at high risk of getting sick,” the Florida Department of Health said in a statement based on our district’s previous testing results.

“Washing hands wouldn’t cause an issue because the lead-contaminated water would need to be ingested continuously for a long period of time to do harm to the body. The risk of lead ingestion is low. However, if an individual is concerned, they should contact their healthcare provider to check the lead levels in their blood,” the Department of Health added.

If we find large-scale issues at any school, we will definitely look at options such as providing bottled water at a school. But test results showing higher than acceptable levels of lead have fortunately been very rare in our tests so far.

Students and staff are always welcome to bring water from home if they would prefer to drink their own water.

If you have any questions about the testing or results as we receive them, please see our Frequently Asked Questions page. You can also contact our Maintenance team to ask a question or visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website.