Pattonville receives water testing results

In 2022, the Missouri legislature passed the Get the Lead out of School Drinking Water Act (RSMo 160.077), which sets standards for lead concentrations in school drinking water. The law specifies that all preschool through 12th-grade schools that receive state funding test all drinking water and food preparation outlets. To ensure safe drinking water throughout district buildings, the Pattonville School District conducted extensive water testing this summer.

Contractor SCI Engineering, Inc., conducted testing on each water outlet in July to ensure the district could promptly initiate any necessary remedial measures. First draw samples were collected at each potable water source, meaning the sample was taken from each fixture after it had remained stagnant for at least eight hours. The goal of this testing was to identify any water sources with a lead concentration at or above the state’s new lead drinking water standard limit of five parts per billion (5 ppb), which is equal to five micrograms per liter. The 5 ppb level required by the state is a stricter threshold than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) recommended action level of 15 ppb.

Pattonville received results on Aug. 6. Overall, 670 water outlets were tested across the district and 85% (569) met the new Missouri statutory level of 5 ppb or less and 92% met the federal standard of 15 ppb. Water sources that were at or above 5 ppb and are not primarily used for drinking, such as science classrooms, have been marked with signage that the water is not for drinking. In cases where the water source is primarily used for drinking or cooking, those outlets have been turned off and marked out of order until they can be repaired or replaced. Once remediated, the water source will be retested to ensure it is within the acceptable state-mandated threshold before it is turned back on. The district expects these water sources to be repaired or replaced and retested before school starts on Aug. 19. Once the new results are available, the appropriate step will be taken, whether it be turning on the water if it tests below 5 ppb or continuing remediation if at or above 5 ppb.

Staff and families at buildings that had any water outlets that require remediation received an email from the district with more information. To see results by building and for more information on testing and the impacts of lead, visit Pattonville's water testing website. Community members with questions or concerns regarding Pattonville's lead testing, can email David Winslow, director of facilities, at dwinslow@psdr3.org. If you have questions regarding the health of your child, please contact your primary healthcare provider.