Robin: This still doesn't seem sufficient. It suggests to me that the schools have a problem with lead in their pipes. Are they using this water to cook food? Wash dishes? Are kids using htis water to wash hands, drink from sinks, etc? The quick fix is just that.

Why isn't EPA involved?

It's not correct that nothing was done - the impacted water fountains were switched off and the schools have bottled water coolers instead.

Robin.

Is the EPA involved in this yet?

Over a year later and still nothing done about the lead in the water in our schools. Lead has been shown to have disastrous effects on children and anytime they want a drink of water it is part of the package.

Hurting kids still swept under the rug just like it always was.

Reform this please.

I have a picture of such a water fountain but I can't figure out how to upload.

Jersey City schools shut down 10 water outlets in pre-K classes due to lead

Sinks and water fountains in some Jersey City public schools have elevated levels of lead contamination, the district announced.

Print By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
on April 23, 2013 at 8:30 AM

Ten sinks or water fountains in pre-K classrooms in the Jersey City school district have elevated levels of lead contamination, and have been taken out of service, the district announced yesterday.

The district was under fire last month when a report surfaced showing that nearly 200 water fountains and sinks in the district?s schools contain lead contamination above federal environmental standards.

After that report made the front page of The Jersey Journal, district officials announced a remediation plan to retest the water outlets and eliminate the lead problem if possible.

Yesterday, district spokeswoman Paula Christen said all 233 pre-K water outlets were tested by March 29. None were checked in the round of testing that identified the roughly 200 outlets identified in the report.

The 10 pre-K water outlets that showed signs of lead contamination were taken out of service and water coolers were dispatched to the locations, Christen said. There were three sinks at School 16, two sinks and a water fountain at School 22, a sink at School 39 and a water outlet each at Schools 23, 28 and 30.

The district is now working on phase two of its remediation plan, which entails installing new piping, fixtures and filtration systems where necessary.

Quote:

What about the pipes INSIDE homes? Is it possible that any of them are lead?

Quote:

Jersey City public schools vow to quickly fix fountains, sinks with high lead

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal
on March 27, 2013 at 7:52 AM

The Jersey City school district on Monday released an action plan it says will lead to remediation of all sinks and water fountains with elevated lead levels.

The announcement came the same day a cover story in The Jersey Journal reported that nearly 200 locations in the district have lead levels exceeding federal standards.

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=2 ... 04d8758c4e815e0514a&msa=0

The sinks and water fountains with high lead levels should be remediated by April 15, and will then be retested, according to the plan released by the district. Sinks in pre-K rooms left out of previous rounds of testing are now being tested, the plan says.

?The Jersey City Public Schools has been vigilant with regard to providing safe water to all facilities for students, staff and community members who access our facilities,? reads a statement from a district spokeswoman.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency recommends action when lead levels in drinking water exceed 15 parts per billion, according to the agency?s website. Some 174 water fountains and sinks tested late last year met or exceeded that standard, with 37 of them showing lead levels 100 times the federal standard.

The sinks and water fountains in question were shut off when the district realized they had high levels of lead, a district spokeswoman told The Jersey Journal last week. Schools Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles previously declined to comment.

The plan reveals the district will identify water outlets to be included in a new round of testing; engage with an environmental engineer to review the latest tests and develop a remediation plan; and test the newly identified water points starting in August.

Ellen Simon, founder of advocacy group Jersey City Parents for Progress, unearthed the report that revealed how many of the district?s sinks and water fountains have high lead levels. Simon said she?s impressed with the action plan?s compressed timetable.

?It?s another example of the professionalism Dr. Lyles brings to the district, and it stands in marked contrast to her predecessor, Dr. Epps,? she said, referring to former schools superintendent Charles T. Epps Jr. ?Dr. Epps had nearly seven years to solve our schools? problems with lead-tainted water. He not only failed to solve the problem, but failed to investigate its scope.?

Epps did not return a phone call seeking comment.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... y_public_schools_vow.html

The lead doesn't come from the water supply. It comes from lead that leaches into the water from lead pipes which was commonly used from the supply line that runs under the street into your home. The other source was the use of lead solder on copper pipes. If you have a system that has very low water flow (i.e. a drinking fountain), the stagnant water can build up lead above what is considered safe.

The city water mains are steel / iron, not lead.

Quote:

?A school district spokeswoman said the water fountains and sinks in question had been shut off years ago...?

I would be curious to know if this condition resulted in testing water samples that were standing in the pipes and fixtures for a long time, which would show elevated levels of just about everything. I would also be curious if many dead piping legs have been created over the years, since they give water a place to stagnate at warm temperatures, where some of it ultimately makes its way into the live runs.

Yes, the findings gave us much to be concerned about the quality of our water at home and bought the test kit for bacteria and lead in our water. Relieved to say it came back negative. It's easy enough to purchase the test kit via Amazon if you want some relief.

Is is just the Jersey City schools with high lead in their water, or does all of Jersey City have high lead?

Have any of you tested your home taps for lead?

This is really part of this thread
http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=13812
If it is the fixture and not the pipes -- then they need to just replace these with some cheap new ones

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... 0_water_fountains_in.html

Nearly 200 water fountains and sinks in Jersey City public schools contained lead contamination above federal environmental standards during recent testing, according to a report unearthed by a Jersey City parent.

One of the water fountains had lead contamination at levels more than 800 times the federal Environmental Protection Agency's standard for lead in drinking water, while 37 water fountains and sinks contained levels of lead more than 100 times the standard, the report shows.

A hand-washing station in School 3's cafeteria had four times the standard, according to the report.

A school district spokeswoman said the water fountains and sinks in question had been shut off years ago, but that doesn't appease Ellen Simon, a founder of the advocacy group Jersey City Parents for Progress. Simon, who unearthed the newest report, calls the lead issue a "black eye" for the school district.

"My fear is that, long term, years from now, someone may forget why those fountains were shut and turn them back on," she said.

Simon also raised another concern: sinks in the district?s pre-K classes ? where toothbrushing lessons are part of the curriculum ? were not tested.

Some 1,017 fountain and sinks were tested from October 2012 to January 2013. The worst fountains and sinks were found at Schools 5, 9, 23, 25, 27, 29 annex, 31 and Zero Tolerance, an alternative program at the Bright Street Academy, the report shows.

School 25 on Kennedy Boulevard had the most problems, with 20 sinks and fountains exhibiting lead levels above federal standards, while School 41 on Wilkinson Avenue had 18, according to the report.

Other locations with high lead levels include an ice machine at Snyder High School (with lead 20 times the federal standard), a nurse?s sink in School 16 (three times the standard) and a water fountain on the seventh floor of the district?s central office (one time the standard).

The EPA recommends action when lead levels in drinking water exceed 15 parts per billion, according to the agency's website. Some 174 water fountains and sinks in the school district met or exceeded that standard, according to the latest round of testing.

"Water fountain 206" in Zero Tolerance had levels at 12,800 parts-per-billion, or 853 times higher than the federal standard. Xiaoguang Meng, a Stevens Institute of Technology professor who studies water contamination, was flummoxed when he learned of that result.

"Wow!" Meng said. "That is an insanely high number."

Parents in schools where high lead concentration has been found in water from sinks and water fountains should send their kids to school with water bottles and urge them not to drink tap water inside the school, he said.

If it were just one water fountain, then the problem could be considered isolated, but multiple water fountains and sinks in one school means there is a larger problem, Meng added. Exposure to lead in water could cause delays in a child's mental development, he warned.

This is a serious issue. Lead has been linked to severe developmental delays and even violent behavior. It is my understanding that many schools solution is NOT to turn off sinks and fountains but instead run them constantly (I guess to dilute them). Students and families are NOT BEING WARNED.

Super Lyles: Not even going to comment on this? Can you stop focusing on serving your WALL STREET PUPPETEERS long enough to make sure the kids water isn't poisoned with something THAT IS ESPECIALLY POISONOUS TO CHILDREN.

Little known fact: I got this crazy from lead poisoning.

JeRsRy CITEE; CurZed grOUNd; pOISOn the CHilDS to LoWER teST sCORES aND fEED TEACHER penZIONS

THIS IS NO PLACE FOR CHILDREN; THE LATEST POLITICAL FLAVOR WILL NOT LIFT THE CURSE

Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

Nearly 200 water fountains and sinks in Jersey City public schools contained lead contamination above federal environmental standards during recent testing, according to a report unearthed by a Jersey City parent.

One of the water fountains had lead contamination at levels more than 800 times the federal Environmental Protection Agency's standard for lead in drinking water, while 37 water fountains and sinks contained levels of lead more than 100 times the standard, the report shows.

A hand-washing station in School 3's cafeteria had four times the standard, according to the report.

A school district spokeswoman said the water fountains and sinks in question have been shut off, but that doesn't appease Ellen Simon, a founder of the advocacy group Jersey City Parents for Progress. Simon, who unearthed the newest report, calls the lead issue a "black eye" for the school district.

"My fear is that, long term, years from now, someone may forget why those fountains were shut and turn them back on," she said.

Some 1,017 fountain and sinks were tested from October 2012 to January 2013. The worst fountains and sinks were found at Schools 5, 9, 23, 25, 27, 29 annex, 31 and Zero Tolerance, an alternative program at the Bright Street Academy, the report shows.

School 25 on Kennedy Boulevard had the most problems, with 20 sinks and fountains exhibiting lead levels above federal standards, while School 41 on Wilkinson Avenue had 18, according to the report.

The EPA recommends action when lead levels in drinking water exceed 15 parts per billion, according to the agency's website. Some 174 water fountains and sinks in the school district met or exceeded that standard, according to the latest round of testing.

"Water fountain 206" in Zero Tolerance had levels at 12,800 parts-per-billion, or 853 times higher than the federal standard. Xiaoguang Meng, a Stevens Institute of Technology professor who studies water contamination, was flummoxed when he learned of that result.
"Wow!" Meng said. "That is an insanely high number."

Parents in schools where high lead concentration has been found in water from sinks and water fountains should send their kids to school with water bottles and urge them not to drink tap water inside the school, he said.

If it were just one water fountain, then the problem could be considered isolated, but multiple water fountains and sinks in one school means there is a larger problem, Meng added. Exposure to lead in water could cause delays in a child's mental development, he warned.

The Jersey Journal reached out numerous times to speak with Schools Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles. District spokeswoman Paula Christen said each time that Lyles was unavailable.

The recent lead testing was performed by Aqua Pro-Tech Laboratories of Fairfield at a cost of $22,560.

Susan Curry, of advocacy group Parents and Communities United for Education, has been warning the district about lead contamination for years, and was instrumental in pushing for an earlier round of lead testing that was conducted in 2010.

"We started this in 2008. It's 2013 now," she said. "That was the second lead remediation company that they paid thousands of thousands of dollars to and the problem's still not fixed."