AMHERST — Water taps at Amherst Regional High School, the South East Campus school and Pelham Elementary School were shut down last week after test results revealed samples taken from several faucets and bubblers contained elevated levels of lead.
The results from the three schools come after elevated lead levels were discovered in water samples taken from all three Amherst elementary schools.
The school district is participating in a voluntary state program calling for increased water testing that aims to allow officials to identify and remove plumbing fixtures that may be leaching lead or copper into drinking water.
On Sept. 8, 58 fixtures at the high school were tested for lead and copper levels. Of the “first-draw” water samples, four bubblers and three faucets tested at lead levels at or above the federal action level of 15 parts per billion.
Samples were also taken from all 58 fixtures after the water has been left to run for 30 seconds, per protocol. Of these “flush” samples, three bubblers and one faucet tested above the action level for lead. None of the flush or first-draw samples tested above the action level for copper, acting Superintendent Michael Morris wrote Wednesday in a letter to the school community.
First draw means the taps had not been flushed prior to testing, and water had been sitting in pipes overnight for six to 12 hours.
The problem samples came from bubblers in the training room and the men’s locker room, which have been taken out of service until repairs can be made. The third problem flush sample came from a sink in the nurse’s office, which tested at 16 ppb, which is one ppb over the action level. That faucet will be kept in service with a daily flushing protocol, based on state Department of Environmental Protection guidelines and consultation, Morris wrote.
On Sept. 9, six fixtures at the South East Campus School were tested. Of the “first-draw” water samples, three bubblers and one faucet tested for lead levels at or above the action level. Flush samples of all six fixtures revealed a sample from only one bubbler was at or above the action level. No flush or first-draw samples tested above the action level for copper, Morris wrote Thursday in a letter.
There, the problem sample came from a bubbler in the cafeteria, which will be taken out of service until repairs are made. An alternative water supply will be made available to students and staff during that time, Morris wrote.
On Sept. 9, 29 fixtures at Pelham Elementary School were tested. Of the “first-draw” water samples, two bubblers and a faucet tested for lead levels above the action level. All of the flush samples were below the action level for both lead and copper.
Despite the acceptable flush samples from all outlets at that school, fixtures in Room 27 that tested above the action level for lead will be removed because they are rarely used. The third fixture that had high first-draw results will continued to be flushed at the beginning of the day, according to Morris.
Besides the three fixtures at the high school and one at South East Campus, none of the other flush samples tested at levels above the federal limit for lead.
Officials believe that the water itself or the pipes are not the source of the lead contamination at any of the schools in Amherst or Pelham. Lead often enters the water supply through old water mains, pipes, fixtures or soldering manufactured before the mid-1980s, according to water quality experts.
Town and school officials are investigating the source of the lead, Morris wrote in the letters.
School officials have been flushing all fixtures in each of the district’s schools pending the receipt of the test results. Fixtures that did not yield problematic first-draw results will no longer be flushed, Morris wrote.
Results from Amherst Regional Middle School are expected to be released in the near future.
Chris Lindahl can be reached at clindahl@gazettenet.com.