School Receives Lead Test Results
Recent legislation requires public schools in New York to test for lead in all water outlets that could be used for drinking or cooking. Schenevus conducted its "first draw” water testing on September 15th with the assistance of the ONC BOCES Safety Risk Management Office.
Of the ninety-nine water outlets (faucets, drinking fountains, etc.) throughout the school building, nine were found to have lead levels exceeding the state-required action level of 15 parts per billion. At the link below is a summary of the results including lead levels and locations of the outlets as well as a fact sheet about the risks associated with lead from the New York State Department of Health.
The school was notified of the test results on Oct. 6 in the evening. Each of the nine affected outlets was immediately taken out of service before school opened on Oct. 7. As a measure of added safety, three additional outlets in the original building have also been taken out of service.
Additional testing will be conducted in an effort to pinpoint the specific source of the lead in each of the nine affected outlets. Once these results are verified, the district will develop a remediation plan to replace affected outlets or completely remove them. No outlet will be placed back into service until testing has confirmed successful remediation of lead.
We take these findings very seriously and are working to ensure that we can continue to provide safe, healthy drinking water for our students and staff. Water for drinking is still available from water fountains in the middle school hallway, PK-1 hallway, and 2-4 hallway. Also, bottled water will be made available from the cafeteria at no cost.
Please do not hesitate to contact the superintendent's office with questions.
For more information please visit the district's lead testing page. Parents with concerns about their child's health can refer to this letter from school physician Dr. Chris Kjolhede of Bassett Healthcare.