Lead in the Water at Amagansett School
The water fountain in the Amagansett School’s gymnasium tested above New York State’s action level for lead last month, as did the faucets of six sinks, according to a letter from the district addressed to parents, guardians, community members, and staff.
The letter, dated Tuesday and signed by Eleanor Tritt, the district superintendent, said that the school had complied with the state’s mandatory regulations for the testing of lead in water, which Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed into law on Sept. 6. The school’s Sept. 23 samples of water were “first draw,” meaning they were collected from outlets where water was motionless for a minimum of eight hours.
Lead is extremely harmful to young children and can result in lowered I.Q., behavioral problems, and brain damage, a statement announcing the new regulations read. The State Department of Health also issued emergency regulations pursuant to the legislation requiring that school districts test water for lead contamination by Oct. 31 and report results to parents, the department, and local government officials.
The gym’s fountain was the only drinking source to test above the action level of greater than 15 parts per billion. It was taken out of service immediately, with a bottled-water cooler currently in its place, according to the letter. An earlier test, in March, revealed no trace of lead.
“We will explore a cost-effective remediation of the original fountain,” Ms. Tritt wrote.
Water from sinks in the coach’s office, the girls locker room, a janitors’ closet, and the first-grade closet also tested above the action level, according to the letter. These, Ms. Tritt wrote, were used for hand-washing only, and the latter sink not used at all. Signs have been posted at all locations stating that the faucets are used for hand-washing only.
As reported in The Star in June, test results on the South Fork showed that the Sag Harbor Elementary and Sagaponack Schools had very small amounts of lead in water samples, but in both cases the levels were less than 15 parts per billion.
Lead is extremely harmful to young children and can result in lowered I.Q., behavioral problems, and brain damage.
The presence of lead in school drinking water gained national attention earlier this year when high levels were found in the water supply in schools and residences in Flint, Mich. In March, testing found lead in the drinking water of 30 Newark schools, prompting parents across the country to question the quality of the water their own children were drinking and washing with.
“I think we’re all finding out there’s a lot more in the water than we realized, between chromium and lead,” Kieran Brew, who has two children in the Amagansett district, said yesterday. “It’s an eye-opener.”
With Reporting by Christine Sampson