LIHU‘E — Four Kaua‘i County schools are taking action after a statewide initiative uncovered faucets and drinking fountains with elevated lead levels.
LIHU‘E — Four Kaua‘i County schools are taking action after a statewide initiative uncovered faucets and drinking fountains with elevated lead levels.
The six fixtures represent just 1.3% of 455 water sources tested in Ele‘ele, Kapa‘a, Kekaha and Wilcox elementary schools. Each exhibited more lead than 15 parts per billion, the action level used by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“Short-term mitigation guidance, provided by the state Department of Health (DOH), directs schools to block off access to the tap until retesting can be done,” a spokesperson for the Hawai‘i Department of Education (DOE) told The Garden Island. “Schools should also post signage that clearly reminds people not to drink the water. Longer-term, the department is looking to replace affected fixtures.”
The health department is testing select schools and childcare facilities in conjunction with the DOE and the state Department of Human Services, under the EPA-funded federal Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act.
“It is important to note that any positive results do not mean there is lead in the water being provided to the school or child care facility from the public water supply departments,” Michael Miyahira, acting branch chief of DOH’s Safe Drinking Water Branch, said in a recent press release. “Historically, our regulated water systems in Hawai‘i have not had lead contamination and our initial findings continue to support this.”
The majority of childhood lead exposures in Hawai‘i occur in the home, usually from deteriorated lead-based paint, the smelting of lead fishing sinkers, or lead-contaminated soil, according to the DOH, although it is possible that repeatedly drinking water containing lead can contribute to a child’s lead exposure. More information can be found online at lead.hawaii.gov.
The WIIN initiative is the first systematic water testing program conducted in the Kaua‘i school complex area, the DOE spokesperson said. The complex’s cafeteria sinks were assessed in 1994.
