Press release from Asheville City Schools:
This letter is to update you on recent water quality testing conducted at our elementary schools by the City of Asheville Water Resources Department. We understand the importance of clean drinking water, and we want to assure you that the health and safety of our students and staff is our top priority.
The City of Asheville recently completed water tests at elementary schools. Initial samples collected at Lucy Herring detected 4ppb (parts per billion), and Hall Fletcher tests detected 6 ppb (parts per billion) of lead in the tap water. Currently, both of those schools are only using bottled water, water fountains are non operational, school nutrition is not using tap water, so we have no reason to believe that students have been exposed to lead at these locations.
The nonprofit Water Mission who installed our filtration systems did preliminary water tests and detected no lead at AMS or IDES. The preliminary tests at AHS detected 6ppb of lead. Since the parts per billion at AHS, AMS, and IDE are below the 10ppb level for required action where the filtration systems are in use, we have decided to keep the filtration systems operational in the interim while we await the results from our additional tests. All three campuses have sufficient amounts of bottled water available for all students and staff for anyone who prefers bottled water. Pre-K classrooms at every campus are only using bottled water.Here are some resources that can provide you with more information about acceptable lead levels in water, lead exposure, and its potential health effects:
Learn more about lead in water by visiting the City of Asheville Lead Awareness website at www.ashevillenc.gov/leadawareness or by calling 828-259-5962.
We are committed to keeping you informed. As we receive additional information on this situation we will send that out to our staff and families. We will also share the results of our additional tests as soon as they are available.
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