Tighter limits on the amount of lead in drinking water in county schools were unanimously approved Tuesday by the Montgomery County Council.
A bill to lower the standard to 5 parts per billion was introduced following revelations last summer that elevated levels of lead were found in water outlets at 86 Montgomery County Public Schools following mandatory testing. Those lead levels exceeded a state standard of 20 parts per billion.
“Nothing is more fundamental to our kids’ success than our kids brains,” said Tom Hucker, the council member who introduced the bill.
High levels of lead have been linked to brain defects in children along with other negative side effects.
Council member Craig Rice, who chairs the council’s Education and Culture Committee, praised the effort and the assistance from community partners, such as members of the Montgomery County Council of PTAs.
“This is incredibly serious, and when you talk about the health of our children whose bodies and health are still developing, we want to provide them with the safest water possible,” Rice said.
The school system is in the process of taking 283 units out of service, replacing 22 water fountains and replacing one ice cooler at a cost of $54,000 over the course of the next year, according to Chief Operating Officer Andrew Zuckerman.
There are 1,350 outlets, which can include drinking fountains and sink faucets, that need remediation, which would cost $2.5 million according to the Office of Management and Budget.
Council members have said that in addition to lead-contaminated drinking facilities in the school system, other buildings such as recreation centers and libraries, have also been found to have outlets in need of remediation. Hucker’s bill, however, applies only to schools.
Dan Schere can be reached at Daniel.schere@moco360.media
