Dear WPS Parents/Guardians,
Keeping our buildings safe and healthy is at the heart of all we do in the Wayzata Public Schools' Buildings and Grounds Department. I am writing to inform you about the District's lead in water testing plan and recent results.
The District's Lead in Water Plan is based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards and guidelines developed by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), requiring public school districts to test for the presence of lead in water in all public school buildings serving K-12 students at least once every five years.
Water Testing Results & Remediation Plans
Wayzata Public Schools contracted with the Institute for Environmental Assessment from September 21 – October 4, 2018 to collect samples from every faucet that is currently being used, or could potentially be used, for drinking or cooking water. The samples were sent to a certified laboratory for analysis.
Of the 1,258 total samples collected, the results have identified 27 locations as above the 20 parts per billion (ppb) standard limit recommended by the EPA and MDH. These 27 fixtures were immediately shut off upon receiving the results and have been marked "out of service" until additional testing is conducted and all necessary remediation is completed.
Although the EPA guidelines require remediation for all fixtures with lead levels above 20 ppb, the District is remediating all fixtures yielding a lead level above 15 ppb. Fixtures that tested below the action level of 15 ppb will remain in service with no restrictions.
Lead concentrations will vary throughout a water system depending on how new or old the system is. In a school's water system, lead levels may increase when water in the plumbing system stands overnight, over the weekend, and over breaks when there is no school.
We are Proactive in Our Efforts to Keep Students & Staff Safe
As recommended by the EPA and MDH, follow-up flush testing (fixture will be flushed for 30 seconds before collecting the sample) is currently in the process of being conducted on all the fixtures that tested above the 20 ppb standard limit in the recent results. If the new flush sample result analysis is below 20 ppb, the fixture will be deemed safe for drinking provided it has been flushed for 30 seconds prior to use. The district will replace the fixtures failing this flush test and all new fixtures will be tested again to make sure the problem has been completely remediated.
The safety and security of our students and staff is always our number one priority. Please visit the Buildings and Grounds webpage for a list of the 27 fixtures throughout the district that will be retested and remediated.
Thank you for your cooperation and patience as we work to address these issues. For more information about water quality in our schools, please contact Chandala Nagendrappa at 763-745-5152 or Chandala.Nagendrappa@wayzataschools.org.
