Although there is “no reason for concern here,” Hopewell Valley schools have added water tests and will report on their results as soon as possible, says the district’s superintendent of schools.
Schools chief Thomas A. Smith said in an email that “our environmental contractor” will test drinking fountains and kitchen cooking sinks over the next several weeks.
The measures are a response to the topic of the safety of drinking water in American schools in the national media, he said. Concern about the quality of public water system started with the discovery of unhealthful amounts of lead in the public water system in Flint, Michigan. The governor of Michigan and the director of the federal Environmental Protection Agency testified before a House committee on Thursday, March 17.
“Although we have no reason for concern here in Hopewell, we have instituted some additional testing in each of our schools as a precautionary measure,” Dr. Smith wrote.
Bear Tavern Elementary and Timberlane Middle schools, which are on district-maintained well systems, are tested every morning as part of a daily maintenance schedule, he said.
“Following a specific protocol, our environmental contractor will continue to test the drinking fountains and cooking sinks in each school over the next several weeks. Once all testing is complete, likely after our spring break, the results will be shared on our website. The initial test results indicate there are no elevated levels in the drinking fountains used by our students or the sinks used for cooking in our schools.”
Several years ago, he said, the Board of Education authorized the installation of ultra-filtered drinking fountains and bottle filling stations in each of the schools in an effort to reduce the use of plastic water bottles. These are the fountains that are most used by students and they are regularly maintained by the district,” he said.
“Thank you for your patience as we take this precautionary step to ensure the safety of our students and staff,” he wrote.
