Where will this testing lead? 22 sources of contaminated water shut off in schools

After 789 sources of water in the Jersey City public schools were tested for lead starting in May, a total of 22 sources showed elevated levels of the toxic element and have been shut off, with results being continuously released including as late as this past Thursday.

The water sources – such as fountains and sinks – were in Public School 3, School 3 Zero Tolerance, School 4, School 5, School 29, School 29A, Academy 1, School 15, McNair Academic High School, Snyder High, and Glenn D. Cunningham Early Childhood Center.

More testing was completed in late June, and the results from those tests will be available this coming Friday, July 11.

The testing began due to reports in January about the high level of lead in drinking water found at six schools (Schools 11, 23, 31, 6, 27, and 25) during testing done back in September of 2006 by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Some residents have complained that school officials knew about the lead and did not tell the public in a timely manner.How it’s tested

According to Maurice Howell, special assistant in charge of maintenance for the Jersey City public schools, about 2,500 samples were taken from water sources in all of the city’s 45 school buildings this year.

The testing is conducted by Glen Rock-based Garden State Environmental, Inc. First-draw water samples taken at water sources after they have not been used for at least eight hours to see whether or not they have elevated levels of lead above the EPA guidelines of 20 parts per billion.

Then, second-draw water samples are taken at any sources that are initially found to have elevated levels of lead, after the water has run for a few minutes.

Once conclusive results come in from the second draw sampling, water sources that are still found to have elevated levels are then shut off. Clearing up the problem

The next step after all results have come in from testing is remediation of the affected water sources. But that cannot be done until all test results have been compiled and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approves the Board of Education’s self-designed remediation plan.

In a press release issued last week, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Charles Epps Jr. said that plans have been made to fast-track remediation efforts, which will be done in conjunction with the board’s expert environmental consultants.

Looking forward to this remediation is longtime Jersey City school board member Suzanne Mack.

“I want a solution that is not a Band-aid…I want something systemic,” Mack said.

Mack also said she was “perturbed” by not knowing what exactly is causing the high levels of lead in the water sources affected. Taking the lead

Members of Parents and Communities United for Education, a local grassroots organization, petitioned School Superintendent Dr. Epps and members of the Board of Education in recent weeks to speed up water testing so that it can be done in time to tell parents from all schools about the results before the end of the school year.

That led to the results to be posted on the Jersey City Board of Education Web site (www.jcboe.org) as well as letters being sent out to parents once results from the testing have been determined.

But not everyone has been impressed by the Board of Ed’s information efforts.

Lorenzo Richardson, an accountant with the Urban League of Hudson County who also serves as education chair for the Jersey City branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples (NAACP), said, “I appreciate the effort, but it should be more transparent.”

Richardson wants the information on the affected water sources to include exactly how many parts per billion of lead were discovered.

Board of Education spokesperson Roger Jones said last week that specific information on the affected water sources will be provided to the public when all results from the water testing are released.

Lead can affect the nervous system of growing children in several ways. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Childhood lead poisoning is one of the most common pediatric health problems in the United States today, and it is entirely preventable.” Comments on this story can be sent to rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com

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