Q. Who is at risk when lead is in drinking water?
According to the EPA, high levels of lead in drinking water may pose a hazard to young children 6 years old and under, and pregnant women. To be of significant concern, the exposure would need to be prolonged over time. Of interest, students in California schools spend approximately 15 percent of their time at school out of a full calendar year.
Q. How is the watered sampled?
At each school site, samples are drawn from five of the most frequently used locations on the site, such as a faucet, fountain, kitchen sink, snack bar or playground. Lead levels, if detected, are measured in parts per billion. A reportable level of lead is defined as a sample returning with a lead level of 15 parts per billion or higher. Anything below that number is considered non-reportable.
Q. What happens with the results?
The water supplier (City of Clovis, City of Fresno or Pinedale Water District) reports all results to the state as required by the law. In Clovis Unified, if any sample returns with a reportable finding, Clovis Unified will address that issue and conduct its own follow-up testing to confirm the finding has been mitigated.
Q. How can you know it isn’t a water source issue if a sample result comes back positive?
If a reportable lead level was a water source issue, all of the samples from a school site would show the presence of lead. That has not been the case in Clovis Unified. From the completed tests so far, there have been a small number of isolated faucets that show the presence of lead (most only in trace amounts), indicating a need for replacement or maintenance. Any faucet that tested positive for even the smallest presence of lead has been replaced and retested to ensure there are no additional trace amounts present.
Q. What are the results at my school?
Results so far found 13 Clovis Unified schools to be free of any reportable levels. Reportable levels were detected in one of the five samples at each of the following sites: Mountain View Elementary, Nelson Elementary, Granite Ridge Intermediate and Clovis West High. In each case, Clovis Unified fixed or replaced the source fixture/faucet, conducted retesting of the water and determined the issue had been resolved. Twenty-seven schools’ water will soon be tested by the City of Clovis with results pending, and two newer schools are exempt.