Districts began testing their water amid concerns across the state and nation
Ewing and Lawrence are among the latest school districts that have had to shut down some fountains after tests revealed elevated levels of lead in some of its drinking water.
In Ewing, the district's environmental consultant tested 71 water supply sites, 7 of which were found to have lead levels above the federal action level of 15 parts per billion:
- Antheil Elementary School: Room 54 water fountain (17.3 ppb)
- Lore Elementary School: Room 4 water fountain (28.1 ppb), kitchen sink 1 (27.9 ppb) and kitchen sink 2 (50.2 ppb)
- Fisher Middle School: Room 112 sink (17.7 ppb)
- Ewing High School: Nurse's main office sink (16.1 ppb), boiler room sink (59 ppb)
The district said that it turned off the seven outlets and began implementing remediation actions and other modifications.
"We will test these outlets again after the modifications have been put in place and they will not be used again until a follow-up test provides clearance," the district said in a statement.
Officials said they also plan to include third-party testing of the water supply into its preventative maintenance facility plan in addition to the routine testing by Trenton Water Works.
In Lawrence, elevated lead levels have been found in some water sources at Eldridge Park, Lawrenceville and Slackwood elementary schools. The district is still awaiting results from the rest of its buildings.
The affected fountains and sinks have been closed and bottled water has been distributed to all the schools.
Before students and staff arrived on Thursday, the district's environmental consultant conducted secondary testing to isolate the source of contamination and validate the initial test results.
"Once the problem is identified, we will immediately implement a plan to correct the area(s) of concern," Andrew Zuckerman, the director of instructional services, wrote in a letter to parents. "The health and safety of our students continues to be our top priority and we will continue to keep you informed as we receive additional information."
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.