Lead found in Malverne school district’s water

One drinking fountain and four sinks had elevated lead levels, district says

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The Malverne school district reported last week that lead had been found in water coming from a drinking fountain at the Maurice W. Downing School and four bathroom sink faucets around the school district.

“We immediately shut down the outlets with elevated lead levels, we replaced the faucets and plumbing, and had the areas retested,” said Dr. Spiro C. Colaitis, assistant superintendent for district operations. The district has received all but one result of the re-testing, Colaitis said, and none have shown elevated lead levels. “We feel comfortable and confident that everything has been taken care of,” said Dr. James Hundrfund, Superintendent of the Malverne school district.

The water fountain that tested positive is outside Room 110A at Downing, Colaitis said. And each of the district’s four schools — Malverne High School, Howard T. Herber Middle School, Davison Avenue School and Downing — had one bathroom sink faucet that tested positive.

The school district discovered the problem when it conducted a water quality study following reports of lead being found in other Long Island school districts. On May 11, the Valley Stream Herald reported that fountainheads on four water fountains at the Wheeler Avenue School were being blamed for lead contamination, discovered in tests done during the spring recess in April. Most lead gets into water after it leaves a local well or treatment plant and comes into contact with plumbing containing lead.

Officials in the West Hempstead school district told the Herald last week that they had also tested their water sources for lead, and expected to receive the results some time this week.

The Malverne district’s study was done by JC Broderick and Associates in mid-March, and all water sources were tested, with the exception of slop sinks, toilets and urinals, Colaitis explained. The lead level in the water was “slightly over” the EPA limit, but he did not provide a specific number. The EPA requires that lead content in drinking water not exceed 15 parts per billion. Colaitis said the district has not regularly tested for lead in the past.

The water study took several months to complete, and cost $10,000. “That’s relatively inexpensive compared to what other larger districts pay,” Hunderfund said. “You have to test every water outlet — and there are hundreds of these things in the district. Then you have to fix everything, make sure it’s above the EPA standards, and then you have to retest. Hopefully, New York state will reimburse the schools for these expenses.”