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Elevated lead levels in five Farmington schools

Posted at 3:07 AM, Apr 27, 2016
and last updated 2016-04-27 03:07:33-04

Tests show sites in five Farmington Public Schools have elevated levels of lead.

The district says it wanted to be proactive in testing water in schools following the Flint water crisis.

Water was tested by Arch Environmental Group as a precautionary measure on April 16, the district said.

The district says lead levels should not exceed the number 15 and the highest number found at schools was 37. The district says a level of 500 is considered to be high.

Elevated levels were found in the following buildings, according to the district:

  • Beechview Elementary (two drinking fountains)
  • Harrison High School (kitchen sink)
  • North Farmington High School (faucet in science classroom)
  • Warner Upper Elementary (water fountain in gym)
  • Visions Unlimited (hallway water fountain)

The district stresses that the levels found in these buildings were only slightly elevated, but officials are planning to conduct further testing to assure staff and families.

Another round of testing is set for Saturday, April 30 and the district plans to release results when they are available.

The district said it's possible that the elevated lead levels may be due to individual fountains and sinks. Results do not necessarily imply a problem with the entire water supply system, the district said.

As a results of these tests, some drinking fountains and sinks may be labeled out of service.