GOWANDA — Gowanda Central School District officials said there was nothing alarming about the results of lead testing in its drinking water but will move forward as required in getting lead levels below the state-mandated limit.
Superintendent Jim Klubek earlier this month informed district residents through a letter about the lead testing results, including a list of the 131 water sources districtwide that exceeded the 15 parts per billion (ppb) threshold.
“I’m glad we brought it to light to see if we can get it corrected and we don’t have to worry about it anymore,” said Klubek. “But on the surface, I don’t think there’s anything people need to be worried about.”
The majority of the water locations that had lead amounts above 15 ppb were in science rooms, bathroom sinks and outside spigots not regularly used for drinking. However, any water locations used for drinking or cooking have been shut off if the threshold was exceeded, Klubek said.
Water faucets used for other purposes, such as cleaning or hand washing, that were tested to have lead levels above 15 ppb are still accessible but with signage not to use for drinking or cooking.
“We are not happy whenever we have lead in our water, but at least it seems to be concentrated more on the faucets that are not predominantly used for drinking,” said Klubek.
Rich Smith, director of facilities, said many of the water sources that exhibited higher levels of lead were faucets that hadn’t been used for an extended period of time.
“A lot of them were science rooms,” said Smith. “So they are faucets that aren’t used every day and that water sits in there and, from what we are told, the longer the water sits the higher the lead level that you’ll see.”
Now that water locations with lead levels above 15 ppb have been identified, the district will move forward in developing a remediation plan that will approved by experts, said Klubek. He said such timetable will depend on the availability of parts, installation and the process for retesting.
While that means finding a solution to bringing 131 locations below the threshold, Smith said the results did indicate it’s likely not a major problem that extends into the school’s overall water supply.
“The test samples came back so random … that more than likely it’s just the fixtures and not our piping or the water that is supplied to our school,” he said.
To be proactive, the school will also replace any water locations that tested at exactly 15 ppb — a move not required by state guidelines but a decision made by district officials. Smith said that is roughly a half dozen districtwide.
Once remediation takes place, water sites will need to be retested before they are turned back on or before signage is removed.
“We have to be positive it did remedy the situation,” said Smith. “Nothing will be turned back on or used until we can definitely say it’s below that 15 (ppb).”
Since the district released results of the testing, Smith has been the point person in addressing concerns with district residents and teachers. He said he has explained to them the state and federal standards — noting the limit by federal standards is 25 ppb — and explaining what the district is doing to remedy the situation.
The district performed the testing in compliance with the state Public Health Laws requiring all schools to test potable water outlets for lead contamination. As required, the district tested its water sources in every building on Oct. 1 and Oct. 8. Test results were received Oct. 26 and Nov. 3.
A total of 426 water samples were acquired districtwide — 166 in the elementary school, bus garage and at Hillis Field and 260 in the middle school and high school.
A complete list of the water sources that tested above 15 ppb is listed on the district’s website, gowcsd.org.
