The process complies with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) guidelines for testing for lead in schools, the district says.
HAMILTON -- The Hamilton school district started testing its school's drinking water for lead over spring break in late March due to recent, public concerns about lead in New Jersey schools.
And the process complies with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) guidelines for testing for lead in school water supplies, Interim Superintendent Thomas Ficarra said in a statement on the district's website.
Late last week, elevated lead levels were found at Morgan and Greenwood elementary schools, the district said in letters posted on their website.
Other than Ficarra's statement about the process of lead testing, no new statements or results were posted on the Hamilton school district website Monday.
Ficarra did not respond to a message left for comment his office Monday.
At Greenwood, results indicated one drinking fountain tested above the acceptable levels for lead, the Greenwood letter says.
Ficarra's statement said the district verbally received the first sample results for Greenwood on Friday morning, April 8.
The district shut off the water to that one drinking fountain pending the results of the second sample and final written report, the letter says.
At Morgan Elementary, "Some of those samples tested above the acceptable levels for lead," the Morgan letter said.
Ficarra's statement said the district verbally received the first sample results for Morgan late on Thursday April 7, 2016, after school hours.
As a precaution, all drinking fountains and faucets that are used for drinking have been shut off at Morgan pending results of the second samples and a written report, the letter says.
The district also arranged for bottled water for Morgan students and staff, and all cooking for Morgan's food service was moved to an off-site location.
Lead detected in water at 2 Hamilton schools
According to Ficarra's statement, the testing includes the following procedures:
- The district's environmental consultant Karl and Associates is doing the testing.
- EPA guidelines say samples should be taken from all sources of drinking outlets, such as water fountains, classrooms with faucet/drinking spigot combination sinks, faculty rooms, kitchens and nurse's office sinks. "This is a more thorough and in depth look at the drinking water supply in a school than random sampling provides for," the statement says.
- EPA guidelines say it is not necessary to sample custodial sinks, bathroom sinks and outside hose bibs since they're not intended for drinking water.
- Karl and Associates contacted the New Jersey Department of Health about the testing methods and were told they were fine.
- The testing process involves taking two samples at each drinking source.
- The first sample is drawn in the morning before the building has been occupied and without first running the water. If the first results are within acceptable EPA limits for lead in drinking water, the water is deemed fine.
- If the results are above the acceptable limits determined by the EPA, a second sample is drawn after flushing the line.
- If the second sample is within EPA limits, the source of the contamination is the fountain or faucet.
- If the second sample is above EPA limits the contamination could be somewhere in the supply lines and requires a more intensive process to locate the contamination.
"Testing began over spring break and will continue systematically throughout the district," Ficarra's statement said. "As soon as the district is notified a source is above the EPA limits, that source will be shut off."
"The district will take every precaution to ensure the safety and well-being of all of our students and staff," the statement says.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.