Get the Lead Out Testing and First Round Results
March 2024
The district recently conducted extensive water testing this year to ensure safe drinking water throughout our schools.
Per the new Missouri “Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act,” a new law to ensure safe drinking water in all school districts throughout the state, the district hired a professional environmental consulting firm to conduct lead testing on water sources in our school buildings. This testing was paid for by a Missouri Division of Health and Safety grant.
Our testing identified water sources in our district with lead concentration at or above the new five (5) parts per billion (ppb) (5 micrograms per liter) standard. The 5 ppb level now required by the state is below the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) recommended action level of 15 ppb.As part of its commitment to safety, the Boonville School District also chose to perform tests of water sources intended for hand washing, cleaning, or other non-drinking purposes, such as classroom sinks.
This webpage provides information to keep our school community fully informed about the safety of our water systems.
The primary purpose of the new law is to ensure safety in drinking and food preparation. Boonville Schools tested more than 430 water sources throughout the district, including cleaning, drinking, and classroom faucets. 94 percent of Boonville’s water sources met new state standards, and 98.5 percent met federal standards.Remedial Actions.
The district has taken immediate steps to restrict access to all water sources identified through testing. All drinking and cooking sources exceeding action levels have been turned off or flushed daily until they can be successfully remediated. Appropriate signage has been placed on non-drinking water sources exceeding action levels until they can be successfully remediated.
The district has already begun evaluating each source for the best remediation option, such as removing or replacing equipment or inserting industry-standard filters certified for lead reduction. The district will retest all water sources identified through this process to ensure successful remediation.
The water quality testing service will perform additional tests on March 6, 2024. The district will report additional information when the results arrive.
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