By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
LAWRENCE — Responding to concerns about lead in the drinking water, public school district officials have begun testing the water in all of the seven school buildings.
The tests began Thursday and will continue into next week, said Superintendent of Schools Crystal Edwards. The testing will be conducted by PARS Environmental, which was awarded a contract for $11,000 to do the work.
All of the drinking water fountains, kitchen faucets, bathroom faucets and science room faucets in each of the schools will be tested for lead, Ms. Edwards said. The concern is with the older sections of the school buildings.
Testing for lead in the water is a matter of “due diligence,” and the results of the water testing will be shared, Ms. Edwards said.
Concern about lead in the drinking water in schools was sparked by the high levels discovered in the Newark public schools. It was pointed out that many of the Newark school buildings are 100 years old and likely contain old plumbing pipes.
