Water is back on at Mount Si High School’s new portable buildings after workers pulled out plumbing believed to be behind high levels of lead.
Two weeks ago, tests found that water from one of the fixtures at the modular building had higher levels of lead than federal guidelines recommended.
Classrooms at the portable buildings, built last fall on the site of the school’s old tennis courts, don’t have drinking fountains. But some rooms have sinks, such as science classes. Other classrooms have faucets where students wash their hands.
A consultant, PBS Engineering + Environmental of Seattle, tested all plumbing fixtures in the building and found high lead levels in three units, numbers 6, 7 and 10, of the six modules.
However, samples from the main building, other modular units and nearby bathrooms showed up negative for high levels of lead.
The PBS report called for replacement of sink fixtures and two feet of pipe within the affected area.
“In some classes, we’ve ensured that teachers don’t let students drink out of the faucets with higher levels,” said Carolyn Malcolm, Snoqualmie Valley School District spokeswoman.
Federal guidelines allow up to 20 particles of lead per billion (ppb) for drinking water in schools. They look at both water that’s been sitting in pipes overnight (untouched for at least eight to 18 hours) and water that’s been flushed (running periodically through the day.)
Mount Si’s modular classroom reports showed that 15 of 26 faucets tested in the six modular building had levels ranging from 21-35 ppb from first-draw samples.
Most were in science lab sinks. However results also showed that once the water is flushed out of a fixture for 60 seconds, the water showed levels within the EPA guidelines.
The test also identified one sink who had higher levels of iron, indicating a rusty fixture. This sink is also in the process of being repaired.
Snoqualmie Valley schools and portables were tested in 2004 and no health concerns were found.
The lead issue may still be covered under warranty at the new buildings.
