Water Testing Report

A: On September 6, 2016, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation (A.10740/S.8158) requiring all school districts and boards of cooperative educational services (BOCES) in New York State to test drinking water systems for lead contamination and to take responsive actions. To implement this new law, the Department of Health issued emergency regulations, titled Lead Testing in School Drinking Water.  All testing was complete in accordance with legislation.

The sampling of water outlets in our schools, as required by the new state law, has been completed. Results of the testing will be posted on the district website as they become available. The district is receiving the test results at a rate of about 60 samples per day from EMSL Analytical, Inc., a certified environmental laboratory which has locations across the United States including Buffalo. We expect final, detailed reports for all buildings by the end of November.

A: Elementary school sampling was completed in September and all sampling in Williamsville
was completed by October 12, 2016.

A: Samples were collected and tested from 2,459 water outlets across Williamsville’s 13 schools and the district office.

A: 250 milliliters (mL), which equals 8.45 ounces.

A: Samples were collected at all school water outlets including drinking fountains, classroom sinks/faucets, custodial sinks/faucets, kitchen areas, custodial areas, showers (i.e. locker rooms), all lavatories, and outdoor faucets.

A: The action level for lead in school drinking water is 15 million parts per billion (ppb).

A: District Facility Department personnel collected the samples in strict adherence to the state’s “first-draw” sampling protocol .

A: A “first-draw” sample is a water sample that is collected from a water outlet before any water is used from that outlet. The water must be motionless in the pipes for a minimum of 8 hours but no more than 18 hours before sample collection. The state regulations for collecting and testing water samples are available on the NYSED website at www.p12.nysed.gov/facplan/LeadTestinginSchoolDrinkingWater.

A: All drinking water samples must be analyzed by a NYS certified environmental laboratory. Williamsville has contracted with EMSL Analytical, Inc. to conduct the testing.

A: If the lead concentration exceeds 15 ppb, the district will take immediate action to reduce potential risk to our students and staff. This may include a combination of the following:

• Immediate disabling of water fountains and/or fixtures that exceed the state-mandated threshold.
• Replacement of fixtures, usually within 24-hours.
• Retesting before outlets are made available for use.*
• Cap outlets no longer used in the schools, e.g. showers in the elementary schools.
• Providing alternate sources of drinking water, e.g. bottled water.
• Labeling of non-drinking water sources such as custodial sink and outside water faucets indicating that students and staff should not drink from those fixtures. Non-drinking uses such as hand-washing are safe.

*All retesting will be expedited by the testing laboratory to ensure successful remediation of the affected outlets.

A: On October 25, 2016, Dr. Melinda Cameron, Medical Director, Western New York Lead Poisoning Prevention Resource Center at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo released a statement in an effort to respond to reports of lead in schools’ drinking water. Below are excerpts from her statement as well as the link to the full news release:

“In this region, lead paint chips and lead in household dust have been implicated as the major contributors to childhood lead exposure. The water testing reports from area schools identify specific sinks, faucets, and drinking fountains that supply water with a lead concentration that exceeds the EPA’s action level of 15 parts per billion.”

“The amount of exposure for each individual student is unknown… [and] is influenced by how much and how often s/he drinks from the water sources in question and his/her body size.”
The full news release can be accessed at http://www2.erie.gov/health/sites/www2.erie.gov.health/files/uploads/StatementOnLeadPaint.pdf

A:

• Local Health Departments are currently awaiting an Environmental Health Manual (EHM) from New York State with further guidance.
• Parents concerned about test results in their children’s schools should speak with their child’s primary care provider about the risks associated with lead in drinking water, and possible follow-up testing.
• Within the last ten years, The Erie County Department of Health has no documented cases of elevated blood lead levels attributed to drinking water.
• The ECDOH recently reviewed the District’s reference materials and indicated that our resources are thorough and accurate.

A:

• The primary source of childhood lead exposure in the US is from lead in dust and soil from deteriorated paint in pre-1978 housing.
• Drinking water in the US is typically not the major source of exposure to lead.
• The most effective treatment for lead poisoning is removal of the source.