Boston City Council will hold a hearing on lead in drinking water Wednesday
The meeting comes after city councilors called for all water fountains in the district to be shut off.
City councilors, school officials and parents will meet on Wednesday to discuss elevated levels of lead in some Boston Public School water fountains. The meeting, set for 5 p.m. at English High School in Jamaica Plain, comes on the heels of a report that students may have drunk from lead-contaminated fountains in four district schools.
That revelation came just a week after Boston Public Schools shut down fountains in four different schools when a test revealed elevated levels of lead in the drinking water.
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Outraged city councilors wrote a letter to Superintendent Tommy Chang and School Committee Chairman Michael O’Neill, in which they called for all drinking fountains in the district’s 125 schools to be shut off immediately. Officials rejected their request, but said they would meet with the councilors to discuss their concerns. The meeting will take place 5 p.m. Wednesday night at English High School in Jamaica Plain.
Of the 38 schools with active water fountains tested, four schools had lead levels that exceeded the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s action level of 15 parts per billion. As a result, the fountains at those schools were shut down. In addition, water fountains were turned on prematurely at six schools taking part in a pilot program to repair plumbing so that fountain water could be restored. Two district employees were placed on administrative leave while officials investigate.
The district held two water safety information sessions for families last week to discuss the issue. Superintendent Tommy Chang said in a statement prior to the meeting that school officials were “confident that all active water fountains meet state standards and are fine for students and faculty use.”
The problem isn’t unique to Boston. Massachusetts officials announced they would devote $2 million to test drinking water at public schools across the state.
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