LSR7 Safe Drinking Water: Lead Testing Results
The safety, health, and well-being of our students, staff, and school community is our top priority.
Per the new Missouri “Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act,” a new law to ensure safe drinking water in all school districts throughout the state, the district hired a professional environmental consulting firm to conduct lead testing for all drinking, cooking and utensil-cleaning water sources in our school buildings.
Our testing identified water sources in our district with lead concentration at or above the new five (5) parts per billion (ppb) (5 micrograms per liter) standard. The 5 ppb level now required by the state is below the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) recommended action level of 15 ppb.
The primary purpose of the new law is to ensure safety in drinking water. 97 percent of LSR7’s water fountains met new state standards and 99 percent met federal standards.
Out of an abundance of caution, LSR7 also chose to perform additional tests of classroom sinks intended for hand washing, cleaning or other non-drinking purposes. A public webpage available at lsr7.org/water includes testing reports and summaries for all district testing.
The district is sharing the final lab results of water testing so that our school community remains fully informed about the safety of our water systems.
After receiving final lab results, the district took immediate steps to restrict access to all water sources exceeding the new state action level identified through testing.
- All drinking and cooking sources exceeding action levels have been turned off until they can be successfully remediated.
- Appropriate signage has been placed on non-drinking water sources exceeding action levels until they can be successfully remediated.
We are evaluating each source for the best remediation option, such as removing or replacing equipment or inserting industry-standard filters certified for lead reduction. The district will retest all water sources identified through this process to ensure successful remediation.
While we work diligently to rectify all issues, please know that all students and staff have access to safe water sources in all of our buildings.
Resources:
- A public webpage available at lsr7.org/water includes LSR7 testing reports and summaries, safety plans, remedial actions and health resources about possible effects of lead exposure.
- Visit the Jackson County Health Department Lead Exposure & Testing page to find resources for parents who have heard from their student's school about lead testing.
- Additional resources on the "Get the Lead out of School Drinking Water Act" can be found on the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services website.