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Officials shut down 44 sinks, fountains at 29 D.C. schools
(Published May 3, 2004)

D.C. public school officials announced April 29 that they have shut off water to 44 fixtures at 29 schools where water was found to contain elevated levels of lead.

"The health and safety of our staff and students continue to be major priorities. …Any further action that may be required will be taken immediately," Interim Superintendent Robert C. Rice wrote in a letter that was sent home with students enrolled at the schools.

A spokeswoman for D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) said the school district’s automated telephone message system also was activated to inform parents and guardians of students enrolled at the schools about the problem.

The action came after school officials received results April 28 from the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority of a new round of water testing that was done between March 28 and April 6. Officials said 1,976 water samples tested from 130 schools showed elevated lead levels in water coming from only the 44 sinks and drinking fountains that have been taken out of service.

D.C. Department of Health officials also sent a letter home with students, encouraging parents and guardians to have their children’s blood tested for lead. City health officials announced they will offer the tests for free, beginning the week of May 3. Elevated lead levels in blood may result in potentially serious health problems, especially for young children.

Local and federal officials are continuing their efforts to determine what has caused recent spiked increases in the number of D.C. homes where tap water sampling has shown lead levels significantly higher than what is considered safe for ingestion by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Speculation has centered on a fairly new method of water purification, which may be causing increased chemical corrosion inside antiquated lead service lines or copper lines with lead solder.

However, school officials said they fear that the elevated lead levels at the 29 affected schools may be a result of lead contamination within the 44 fixtures themselves. Superintendent Rice said the fixtures will be replaced with new units, where the fixtures are necessary.

School officials provided the following list of fixtures from which water samples contained elevated lead levels:

• A non-kitchen sink and a kitchen sink at Ballou Senior High, 3401 Fourth St. SE;
• A classroom sink at Bell Multicultural High, 3145 Hiatt Place NW;
• A classroom sink at Bowen Elementary, 101 M St. SW;
• A classroom sink and a water cooler at Brightwood Elementary. 1300 Nicholson St. NW;
• A non-kitchen sink at Burrville Elementary, 801 Division Ave. NE;
• A kitchen sink at Clark Elementary, 4501 Seventh St. NW;
• A non-kitchen sink at Dunbar Senior High, 1301 New Jersey Ave. NW;
• A classroom sink at Eastern Senior High, 1700 East Capitol St. NE;
• A water cooler, a classroom sink and a kitchen sink at Eaton Elementary, 3301 Lowell St. NW;
• Two non-kitchen sinks at Ferebee-Hope Elementary, 3999 Eighth St. SE;
• A classroom sink and a water cooler at Gage-Eckington Elementary, 2025 Third St. NW;
• A water cooler at Hart Middle School, 601 Mississippi Ave. SE;
• A classroom sink at Hearst Elementary, 3950 37th St. NW;
• A kitchen sink at Hendley Elementary, 425 Chesapeake St. SE;
• A classroom sink at King Elementary, 3200 Sixth St. SE;
• A bubbler at Lafayette Elementary, 5701 Broad Branch Road NW;
• A kitchen sink at Malcolm X Elementary, 1351 Alabama Ave. SE;
• A classroom sink at Orr Elementary, 2200 Minnesota Ave. SE;
• A bubbler at P.R. Harris Educational Center, 4600 Livingston Road SE;
• A water cooler at Penn Center, 1709 Third St. NE;
• A classroom sink and a water cooler at Milburn Public Charter School (Rabaut), 100 Peabody St. NW;
• A bubbler at Seaton Elementary, 1503 10th St. NW;
• A bubbler and a classroom sink at Shadd Elementary, 5601 East Capitol St. SE;
• A bubbler and a classroom sink at Shaed Elementary, 301 Douglas St. NE;
• A classroom sink at Sharpe Health School, 4300 13th St. NW;
• A classroom sink at M.C. Terrell Elementary, 3301 Wheeler Road SE;
• A bubbler at Tyler Elementary, 1001 G St. SE;
• Three classroom sinks and a kitchen sink at Wilkinson Elementary, 2330 Pomeroy Road SE;
• Two kitchen sinks at Wilson Senior High, 3950 Chesapeake St. NW.