A look at which Mercer County districts have tested or are testing
Following the discovery of high levels of lead in the water in Newark's schools and concerns nationwide, districts across the county began testing their water fountains, classroom sinks and cafeteria faucets.
Under federal law, only schools and daycare centers that operate their own water systems are required to test for lead. Schools that rely on a municipal water system -- an estimated 90,000, according to the EPA -- are not required to do so.
But while the utilities test their water, lead contamination can still occur in lead pipes, which were not banned until 1986, or other fixtures made of lead or lead solder.
"They're following the rules, but I think what is coming out of this situation is people are realizing that the regulations need to be changed to be more protective," said Elyse Pivnick, the director of environmental health for Trenton-based Isles.
Joe McIntyre, superintendent of Trenton Water Works, which serves the city and parts of Ewing, Hamilton, Hopewell and Lawrence, said the water that is sourced from the Delaware River is of a high-quality and the water mains are lead-free.
Even so, the utility slakes and adds an average of 3,000 pounds of lime to the water every day to control corrosion and prevent the leaching of lead.
McIntyre said most of the lead service lines that were installed before 1931 have been replaced or are no longer in service and, for decades, the utility has cleaned and lined its water mains with cement mortar to improve water quality.
"All of the things that (McIntyre's) in control of are lead-free, but they don't systematically test what happens from the curb to the building that's being served," Pivnick said. "That's where the water is picking up the lead."
In schools, she added, lead particles can build up in plumbing when water goes unused over weekends and long breaks.
Below is a roundup of which districts have tested or are testing:
East Windsor Regional Schools
The East Windsor Municipal Utility Authority drew samples from the district's six schools and two administrative buildings. The first set of samples from the four elementary schools found no instances of lead exceeding the acceptable levels and the remaining test results are expected soon.
Ewing Public Schools
Superintendent Michael Nitti said testing was being done this week and the district hopes to have the results next week.
Hamilton Township School District
The district began testing its 24 buildings over spring break and the results that have come back have shown elevated lead levels in some schools.
"We have to see the extent of what we're looking at" before the district decides on an action plan, interim Superintendent Thomas Ficarra said.
Morgan: All drinking fountains and faucets were shut off pending the results of the second samples and written report. Bottled water and water coolers were delivered to the school and all cooking will be done off-site until the final report is issued.
Greenwood: Water was shut off to one of the fountains that tested above the acceptable lead levels.
Sayen: All of the water sources tested safe.
Alexander: Water was shut off to one of the fountains that tested above the acceptable lead levels.
Kisthardt: All of the water sources tested safe.
Hopewell Valley Regional School District
Testing was done over three weeks and the results show that the lead and copper results are well within safe limits. Bear Tavern Elementary and Timberlane Middle schools obtain their drinking water from on-site wells some 300 feet below the ground.
Lawrence Township Public Schools
The district is in the process of testing now, spokeswoman Lana Mueller said.
Mercer County Special Services School District
The information was not immediately available.
Mercer County Technical Schools
The information was not immediately available.
Princeton Public Schools
Of the 85 samples taken at the district's six schools, two samples from Johnson Park Elementary School exceeded the maximum contaminant levels. A staff room sink had slightly elevated levels of lead and copper and an outside fountain had slightly elevated levels of copper.
The district has replaced the faucet in the staff room and is working on fixing the outside fountain. As an added precaution, all of the faucets in the portion of the building that was built in 1959 will be replaced.
Robbinsville Schools
The information was not immediately available.
Trenton Public Schools
The district is in the midst of testing its water for lead as part of a five-year cycle.
West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District
Unofficial sample results have come back for all but West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North. Five schools had lead levels that exceeded 15 parts per billion, the federal threshold for drinking water: a classroom faucet in Village School (22 ppb), a faculty lounge bubbler in Dutch Neck Elementary School (18 ppb), a bubbler in Maurice Hawk Elementary School (16 ppb), a classroom faucet in Grover Middle School (25 ppb) and water cooler near High School South's library (58 ppb).
The district shut off the five fountains and faucets and plans to retest.
However as much as lead in drinking water is a concern, Pivnick said lead-based paint in old buildings remains one of the most common sources of lead exposure.
"It's great to hear the sense of concern about the water because there's no safe level and any bit can contribute, but I'd really like to see the same sense of alarm and consideration of new policies to systematically test homes for hazardous levels of lead before babies come home from the hospital and find ways to fix them," she said.
The sale of lead-based paint was banned in 1978, but that did not make the paint already on the walls and woodwork go away. Chipped or peeling paint and dust from the paint can often be found in poorly maintained homes may have chipped or peeling paint or dust from the paint, Pivnick said.
Children must be checked for lead with a blood test at age 1 and 2, but there are no enforcement measures in place.
Of the 1,854 Trenton kindergartners entering school in fall 2012, 15.1 percent had a lead level of 5 micrograms per deciliter, the federal threshold for intervention, 1.5 percent had a level of 10 micrograms per deciliter, the state threshold, and 51 percent had levels above 2.5 micrograms per deciliter.
Pivnick said even low levels have been shown to affect a child's IQ, the ability to pay attention and academic achievement.
"Just because it's a difficult problem doesn't mean that we don't do anything," she said. "I think for years, people have said 'It's too impossible, we can't do anything about it' and they don't even want to know. I say it's better to know than not know because if the problem's well-defined, you can start finding some solutions."
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.