School district is replacing nine faucets at the Primary School

By Oliver Lazenby

After testing all the water fixtures at Blaine Primary School, the Blaine school district is replacing nine faucets that tested above 10 parts per billion for lead. That’s a voluntary measure; the Environmental Protection Agency recommends that fixtures with levels of more than 20 parts per billion be taken out of service.

None of the faucets being replaced are in the part of the building being used for the Primary School’s summer program, according to the district’s website.

State lawmakers passed funding for lead testing in schools in 2017, and the Washington State Department of Health began assisting school districts with testing this year. The district tested Point Roberts Primary and Blaine Elementary earlier this year.

All fixtures at Point Roberts tested below 10 parts per billion, and the school district replaced 12 faucets at Blaine Elementary – two had lead levels of 20 parts per billion or more, and the rest had between 10 and 19 parts per billion, according to a school district memo.

The health department plans to test all the fixtures at Blaine Middle School in September, according to the district’s website.

Childhood lead exposure increases risks for hearing, speech, learning and behavior problems; brain and nervous system damage; and slowed growth and development, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Lead typically leaches into water from plumbing, rather than directly from the water source, according to the CDC. Deteriorating lead-based paint, which was used until 1978, is the most hazardous source of lead for U.S. children, according to the CDC’s website.