ANN ARBOR, MI - Responding to concerns about lead in the water at many Ann Arbor schools, the school district is assuring the community it's taking steps to address the issue.
Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Jeanice Swift issued a two-page statement shared with the school board and posted on the district's website this week, saying AAPS is committed to achieving the lowest possible levels of lead in school drinking water.
Some parents are raising new questions and concerns about the issue, arguing even low levels of lead aren't safe for children.
The district's last test results from July and August of 2017 showed several schools had lead in the water from various faucets and drinking fountains above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency action level of 15 parts per billion, and others at lower levels.
Huron High School was the only one out of 33 buildings tested that didn't have any detectable levels of lead.
In some cases, the levels were well above the EPA action level -- as high as 320 ppb from one faucet at Burns Park Elementary.
The district hasn't tested since then, but its next round of testing is scheduled for October and November.
Swift said the district has voluntarily tested the water annually since 2016 in all AAPS schools and has addressed issues in all cases where there were lead levels above the 15 ppb action level.
Swift said the district takes very seriously the risks associated with lead exposure, particularly with young children, and AAPS is currently working to replace older water fixtures in schools and installing more water bottle filling stations, among other measures.
AAPS parent Abby Dumes suggests the district should be doing more, including testing every source of water in every school, and taking action to address even lower levels of lead.
A University of Michigan lecturer whose work includes medical anthropology and environmental health, she said the lead levels shown for various schools are concerning, not just those above 15 ppb.
Even though 15 ppb is the EPA action level, Dumes notes the EPA's maximum contaminant level goal is still zero.
"EPA has set the maximum contaminant level goal for lead in drinking water at zero because lead is a toxic metal that can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels. Lead is persistent, and it can bioaccumulate in the body over time," the EPA states.
"Young children, infants, and fetuses are particularly vulnerable to lead because the physical and behavioral effects of lead occur at lower exposure levels in children than in adults. A dose of lead that would have little effect on an adult can have a significant effect on a child."
In children, low levels of exposure have been linked to damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing, and impaired formation and function of blood cells, according to the EPA.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality notes the lead action level is not a health standard and the DEQ recommends taking action if the lead concentration is above 5 ppb.
The school district recently placed yellow caution tape over a drinking fountain at the gym at Ann Arbor Open at Mack School as concerns about lead in the water heightened. Last year's tests showed 9 ppb of lead in the water from the fountain.
According to the district, the fountain has been taken out of service out of an abundance of caution and it will be replaced with a new hydration station in the next two to four weeks.
AAPS spokesman Andrew Cluley said the new water stations that the district is installing are drinking fountains that also have a water bottle filling feature, so they're still connected to the building plumbing. Some already have been installed at some schools.
Often the issue with lead in the water is in the fountain or fixture itself, Cluley said, so replacing it can solve the problem.
After installation, he said, the new water bottle filling stations are tested, and if necessary, the pipes will be replaced as well.
The AAPS protocol when lead levels are above 15 ppb includes flushing and retesting at the location, replacing water fixtures, and, in some cases, replacing water pipes behind the fixture.
Following that protocol, Swift said, the district has addressed all locations with lead above the EPA action level.
The issue was discussed at this week's school board meeting. Swift is now proposing implementing a protocol of flushing and retesting in cases across the district where lead levels are above 10 ppb, increasing the mitigation efforts.
She said that will place the district ahead of a new 12 ppb action level taking effect starting in 2025.
The school district has shared a 66-page report showing the last lead test results from July and August of 2017.
In a number of cases, there was no detectable lead in the water from certain faucets, drinking fountains and water coolers.
But in those cases where there were detections from various fixtures, the results showed the following ranges of lead levels:
- Abbott Elementary -- 2-8 ppb
- Allen Elementary -- 2-8 ppb
- Angell Elementary -- 1-42 ppb
- Ann Arbor Open at Mack School -- 1-9 ppb
- Bach Elementary -- 2-15 ppb
- Balas Administration Building -- 1 ppb
- Bryant Elementary -- 1-4 ppb
- Burns Park Elementary -- 2-320 ppb
- Carpenter Elementary -- 2-4 ppb
- Clague Middle School -- 1-50 ppb
- Community High -- 2-26 ppb
- Dicken Elementary -- 2-25 ppb
- Eberwhite Elementary -- 2-39 ppb
- Forsythe Middle School -- 2-120 ppb
- Haisley Elementary -- 1-38 ppb
- Huron High -- no detections
- King Elementary -- 1-8 ppb
- Lakewood Elementary -- 1-9 ppb
- Lawton Elementary -- 1-51 ppb
- Logan Elementary -- 1-6 ppb
- Mitchell Elementary -- 1-4 ppb
- Pathways to Success Academic Campus -- 2-7 ppb
- Pattengill Elementary -- 1-16 ppb
- Pioneer High -- 2-10 ppb
- Pittsfield Elementary -- 4-8 ppb
- Preschool and Family Center -- 1-8 ppb
- Scarlett Middle School -- 1-3 ppb
- Skyline High -- 1-31 ppb
- Slauson Middle School -- 1-11 ppb
- STEAM at Northside -- 1-110 ppb
- Tappan Middle School -- 1-11 ppb
- Thurston Elementary -- 1-2 ppb
- Wines Elementary -- 1-82 ppb
Thirteen of the 33 buildings had one or more water sources with lead levels at or above 15 ppb.
In most cases, though not always, flushing and retesting after the initial tests later resulted in either no detections or lower lead levels.
AAPS Board President Christine Stead said most of the buildings were not in use when the lead testing was done in July 2017, so the first-sample readings may have been higher due to stagnant water supplies. The district believes testing this fall should give a better picture.
Stead said the goal is to get lead levels down to zero, and there was some discussion at this week's school board meeting about whether that's possible if the city's water source is at 3 ppb.
She noted there are lead filters included in the water stations, which is an important part of the district's strategy to get to 0 ppb. She said the stations cost $4,700 each for hardware and the district is exploring how to get them installed expeditiously where needed.
At Angell Elementary, the highest reading of 42 ppb was from a faucet in Room 108, which was at 37 ppb a couple weeks earlier.
There also were readings at Angell Elementary of 18 ppb from a drinking fountain in Room 207, 11 ppb from a drinking fountain in Room 123 and 10 ppb at the clinic faucet in the main office.
At Bach Elementary, the high reading of 15 ppb was in the staff lounge area.
At Burns Park Elementary, the 320 ppb was from a faucet in Room 304. The report notes a brown color was visible. When the faucet's water was retested a couple weeks later, it was down to 5 ppb.
A drinking fountain in Room 103 at Burns Park Elementary showed lead at 15 ppb.
At Clague Middle School, a classroom faucet in Room 228 had lead at 50 ppb, and another faucet in Room 226 was at 16 ppb. Followup tests a couple weeks later showed levels of 4 ppb and 24 ppb, respectively.
At Community High, the high reading of 26 ppb was from the main office staff sink.
At Dicken Elementary, the highest readings were in the range of 20-25 ppb from a a combo sink in Room 113. Later tests showed one side non-detect and the other at 4 ppb.
At Eberwhite Elementary, the high reading of 39 ppb was from a hallway water cooler by the main office, which was later down to non-detect, while a faucet in Room 125 had a reading of 13 ppb.
At Forsythe Middle School, the high reading of 120 ppb was from a drinking fountain across from Room 412, later down to non-detect.
There also were readings of 9 ppb, 21 ppb, 49 ppb and 79 ppb at other Forsythe drinking fountains, and 74 ppb at a sink in Room 611, as well as 18 ppb in another classroom sink in Room 312.
Later followup tests at Forsythe showed levels ranging from 1-13 ppb, and in some cases non-detect.
At Haisley Elementary, the high reading of 38 ppb was from a faucet in Room 109, later down to 3 ppb. A library work room sink at Haisley was at 17 ppb, later up to 20 ppb and then down to 4 ppb.
At Lawton Elementary, the high reading of 51 ppb was from a classroom faucet in Room 312, later down to 23 ppb.
At Pattengill Elementary, the high reading of 16 ppb was from a faucet in Room A-8, down to 1 ppb weeks later.
At Pioneer High, the high reading of 10 ppb was from a hallway drinking fountain outside Room C-125.
At Skyline High, the high reading of 31 ppb was from a third-floor water cooler, later down to non-detect.
At Slauson Middle School, the high reading of 11 ppb was from a water cooler near Room 248. Several other drinking fountains and water coolers in the school ranged from 1-8 ppb, and one non-detect.
STEAM at Northside had a high of 110 ppb in a classroom faucet, later down to 71 ppb, and 30 ppb and 33 ppb in two drinking fountains, later down to 3 ppb and 5 ppb, respectively.
Tappan Middle School's high reading of 11 ppb was from a hallway water cooler outside Room 138.
At Wines Elementary, two drinking fountains had readings of 42 ppb and 12 ppb, the highest one later shown down to 3 ppb. A faucet in the teachers lounge was at 17 ppb and later up to 82 ppb.
The AAPS water testing is done by Arch Environmental Group, which does similar work for other school districts in Michigan.
"Testing in AAPS schools is focused on high-priority locations, including drinking fountains, kitchen sinks, and classroom water fixtures," Swift wrote in her memo, noting the AAPS has increased the number of locations tested at each campus and plans to do even more.
The superintendent's proposed next steps include installing water bottle filling stations in all schools, a project she believes can be accomplished fairly quickly, and encouraging students and staff to use those locations for drinking water.
Other proposed next steps include continuing the flushing of all water systems following school breaks, such as summer, Thanksgiving, winter break, and spring break. The district also plans to increase the number of locations tested in each school, particularly in elementary schools, with the upcoming fall water testing.
Other plans include installing signage in "low-priority locations," such as custodial closets, to remind everyone that water in those locations is not to be used for consumption, Swift said.
"In the AAPS, we are committed to the work of preventing and addressing levels of lead in school drinking water, and look forward to maintaining our position as a leading school district in the state on this very critical issue of student health and safety," she wrote.
Dumes said it seems the district is not testing every water source in every school and she believes it should to make sure it's not missing other spots where there may be dangerous lead levels.
According to the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, zero is the level of lead in water determined to be safe according to toxicological and biomedical considerations. The ATSDR website explains more about how lead can end up in water.
"The use of lead solder and other lead-containing materials in connecting household plumbing to public water supplies was banned by EPA in June of 1988," the ATSDR website states.
"Many older structures, however, still have lead pipe or lead-soldered plumbing internally, which may substantially increase the lead content of water at the tap. Regulations controlling the lead content of drinking water coolers in schools went into effect in 1989."
Ann Arbor officials said last week that many city property owners may need their old galvanized water service lines replaced if they were once connected to lead components in the city's water system because lead can be built up inside them. The city is planning to put together an inventory of those locations per new state requirements, and gradual replacement of the lines would begin by 2021.
Brian Steglitz, the city's water treatment plant manager, said the 90th-percentile lead level in the water in Ann Arbor is 3 ppb.
The EPA has announced it plans to award $20 million in grants under a program to help with voluntary testing for lead in drinking water at schools and child care programs. In a letter to governors, the EPA requested that states interested in participating in the grant program, submit letters of intent to EPA by Jan. 11, 2019.
Cluley said Ann Arbor school district officials are meeting with water quality experts and will be sharing more detailed information soon.