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Eight more buildings in the Salem-Keizer School District have high levels of lead in water from at least one tap – including the central kitchen, where food is prepared for all of the district’s schools. As of Monday, high lead levels had been detected in 22 of the 42 schools and district buildings where testing is complete. “We’ve got roughly half of the results back,” district spokesman Jay Remy said. “We’re hopeful we’ll get the rest of them this week.” If that doesn’t happen, the district likely will provide bottled water at schools waiting for their results, he said. The district has shut off water to sinks and fountains where high lead levels have been found, and is working to determine whether the problem lies with the fixtures themselves or the pipes behind them. Meanwhile, the Marion County Health Department has issued an alert for doctors and clinics, providing links to the Salem-Keizer test results and to more information about lead exposure in children. The health department is advising parents with concerns to check with their children’s doctors. That’s in contrast to Portland, where both Portland Public Schools and the Multnomah County Health Department offered free home test kits and screening clinics after high lead levels were found in school taps there. Salem-Keizer contracts with food-service giant Sodexo to provide meals for the district. Director Dave Harvey said the tap that tested high serves a three-sink setup used for hand washing dishes. Water to the sink has been turned off, and the fixture will be replaced, Harvey said. “We have another three-sink system we’re able to use,” he said. The district received surprising results at Salem Heights Elementary School, which had previously been tested in June. The earlier tests showed that all taps but one were under 2 parts per billion. That one, at 3.3 ppb, was well below the district’s “action level” of 15 ppb. Retesting in August showed 20 taps over 2 ppb. One tap, at 16 ppb, was over the action level. Remy said that likely reflects the fact that school had been out for more than a month during the second set of samples. The district flushed plumbing in the schools, then let the water sit for eight hours, to try to simulate use during the school year. But that method isn’t perfect, Remy said. “When you test in two timeframes, your building usage is different,” Remy said. “But I don’t think one school proves that’s a districtwide trend.” Salem-Keizer schools that have received results with at least one tap at or above the action levels of 15 parts per billion for lead or 1.3 parts per million for copper are: Auburn Elementary School Chavez Elementary School Clear Lake Elementary School Forest Ridge Elementary School Keizer Elementary School Myers Elementary School Pringle Elementary School Scott Elementary School Sumpter Elementary School Swegle Elementary School Wright Elementary School Claggett Creek Middle School Crossler Middle School Judson Middle School McKay High School McNary High School North Salem High School South Salem High School Sprague High School Central Kitchen Schools that have received their results with all taps under the action level are: Brush College Elementary School Bush Elementary School Candalaria Elementary School Grant Elementary School Harritt Elementary School Highland Elementary School Kalapuya Elementary School Kennedy Elementary School Lee Elementary School Liberty Elementary School Miller Elementary School Morningside Elementary School Weddle Elementary School Houck Middle School Leslie Middle School Parrish Middle School (four taps were not sampled because they were out of service) Stephens Middle School (three taps were not sampled because they were out of service) Waldo Middle School Whiteaker Middle School (four taps were not sampled because they were out of service) Centennial/Wheatland |
