Medina schools have 32 water outlets with elevated lead levels
MEDINA – The school district has the results back from lead testing at 346 water outlets on the campus. There were 32 outlets that exceeded the state threshold of 15 parts per billion.
“Please be assured that the water supply in Medina Central Schools is safe for drinking,” Thomas Cox, interim district superintendent, said ina letter posted on the district website. “None of the sources showing elevated levels were sources commonly used for drinking or cooking.”
A summary of Medina’s lead testing results include:
• In the high school, there were 11 outlets that were above the threshold – all were sinks in science rooms.
• In the middle school, there were 13 spots with elevated levels of lead – 12 were sinks (mostly in science/technology rooms), and one was a rarely used drinking fountain in a technology room, said Mark Kruzynski, Medina’s business administrator. That fountain is no longer needed at the school and has been taken out of service because there are several filtered chilled water fountains in the area.
• At Oak Orchard Elementary School, there are eight water outlets above the threshold with 6 classroom sinks and 2 seldomly used drinking fountains, Kruzynski said. Those drinking fountains have been taken out of service. There are other filtered chilled water fountains close by, he said.
The district has posted “non-potable water – do not drink” signs at water outlets with elevated lead levels.
“Those signs will remain in place until we have remediated the problem and have re-tested the water source and found the lead levels below the permissible NYS levels,” Cox said in his letter.
Medina and other school districts in the state are now required by NY to test for lead in any water sources. NY is requiring action for any water source with lead at 15 parts per billion or more.
For more information on Medina’s results, click here.
