State-required testing for lead in school drinking water has found elevated levels in more than a quarter of samples.
Testing began in 2021 and was just completed in June. No amount of lead exposure is considered safe, but Maine has set the level of concern at amounts that exceed four parts per billion.
Maine’s Drinking Water Program manager, Amy Lachance, said the percent of samples that exceed allowable levels in Maine is similar to what’s being reported in other states.
“I don’t think that there were significantly different results from other state school sampling programs,” Lachance said. “But what we’re really focusing on is we now know that there are elevated levels of lead in schools and we know where they are.”
Lachance said elevated levels are often due to older plumbing and fixtures and don’t necessarily indicate a problem with the municipal water supply.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said 45 schools have yet to notify the public with testing results as required. The results are posted on the Drinking Water Program website.
Maine’s law does not require schools to undertake mitigation, but they’re asked to prohibit access to tainted water supplies.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
