Water tests at Lyndonville show 47 spots on campus have elevated lead levels
File photo by Tom Rivers: Lyndonville’s former elementary school closed after the 2011-12 due to declining enrollment. The district tested 25 water sources at the building on Sept. 26 and 60 percent or 15 spots were too high in lead.
LYNDONVILLE – The results are back on the lead in water sources at Lyndonville Central School.
The district tested 126 locations in the middle/high school and 32 came back with elevated levels of lead in the water.
Although the elementary school is now closed with those students at the middle-high school, the elementary school showed 15 spots with elevated lead levels out of 25 water sources.
The district hired Envoy Environmental Consultants to complete water testing. The company also tested three sources and the bus garage and those were all under the state threshold.
New York State on Sept. 6 passed a new law requiring water in schools be tested for lead. The state gave the school until Oct. 31 to get the tests done. (New York State has determined permissible lead levels in potable water to be 15 parts per billion (ppb). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s permissible level is 20 ppb.)
“The health and safety of students, staff, and visitors remains our top priority and we are committed to ensuring that water in our district’s buildings is safe,” Superintendent Jason Smith said in a statement posted in the district website.
The water sources that tested above state limits in the initial sampling will be remediated, Smith said. The remediation measures could include replacement of plumbing/fixtures or completely shutting down the water source.
Lyndonville’s water sources were all tested on Sept. 26.
Here are the results in the middle/high school, where about 600 students attend classes:
• Of the 126 locations tested, 32 were above 15 ppb.
• Five were identified as kitchen sinks.
• Seven were identified as bathroom sinks.
• Eighteen were identified as classroom sinks.
• Two were identified as drinking water bubblers (drinking fountains).
In the former elementary school:
• Of the 25 locations tested, 15 had elevated lead levels.
The water supply has been shut off to the two drinking fountains with elevated lead levels. Additionally, Smith said signs have been posted by the sinks that indicate “Hand-Washing and/or Cleaning Only” where the water tested above the state limit.
Smith said a letter will be going home to parents on Wednesday with the test results.
Three other schools in Orleans County – Albion, Holley and Medina – are awaiting their results. Kendall also had some classroom sinks and drinking fountains test too high for lead.
