Photograph by Sophia Rodriguez-Bell
Last month, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) tested at least five regularly used water sources at all Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) campuses to check that lead levels are safe for community use. The preliminary results showed that the water fixtures at Berkeley High School (BHS) were well below the actionable lead level of fifteen parts per billion (ppb), as set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The majority of tested fixtures showed levels of five ppb or lower, and only one exceeded that, reaching six ppb, according to BHS Facilities Manager Jeffrey Snow. Even if lead contamination is below the actionable level, EBMUD often recommends that facilities close or replace their fixtures with higher ppb, as corrosion can continue and lead to higher ppb in the future, according to Jenesse Miller, the senior public information representative for EBMUD.
The water tests were in accordance with California Assembly Bill 746, approved in October 2017. The bill requires schools built before 2010 to test the water fixtures at their facilities for lead and other contaminants before 2019. If results show a concentration above fifteen ppb, schools must shut down the contaminated fixtures and inform parents and students.
AB 764 also requires that EBMUD provide the testing for any kindergarten through twelfth grade schools in the area that request it. “[The testing was also] prompted by the news reports about the Oakland and San Francisco School Districts having elevated lead levels in some of their fixtures at several of their school sites,” said Snow.
Water testing for lead has received national attention since the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Miller said that even before the Flint crisis, EBMUD had been diligent about keeping lead out of Bay Area drinking water. “One problem in Flint was that even when they changed the source water, they didn’t do proper corrosion control, as a lot of lead and other contaminants can get into the water from the corrosion of plumbing,” said Miller. She continued, “EBMUD has been careful to do robust corrosion control on the water and pipes surrounding Berkeley and the Bay Area.”
Before the mandatory tests took place, a couple of water fountains at BHS — one in the D building and one in the E building — were tested for contaminants, because their water was “cloudy,” said Snow. As instructed by EBMUD, Snow found that the discolored water from both fountains cleared up from the bottom, meaning that the pipes contained air bubbles. When the water was tested, however, any contaminants found were well below the limits set by the EPA.
For each test, the fixture in question must be covered and unused for at least six hours to insure that the water remains stagnant, according to Snow. After the six hours, EBMUD collects a sample to send to their facilities to be tested.
Currently, the tests that were performed in December are the only tests required for the district, according to the EBMUD Lead Sampling Background and Fact Sheet. Even so, Snow said that EBMUD has always provided the Bay Area with pure and good-tasting water. He added, “BUSD is dedicated to maintaining that quality as the water is dispensed to our students and staff.”