National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is October 22-28, 2023
Certified Water Professionals across the state are our front line for promotion of the Culture of Health in drinking water. They work hard to protect water consumers at public water systems from all kinds of contaminants, from bacteria to uranium. One of the most complicated rules for protecting water consumers is the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR). Even when this rule is fully-implemented, it relies on careful sampling at a representative number of sample sites. No public water system is required to test at every point where consumers drink water to see if lead is present.
But there is another program in Colorado that is doing just that. In 2022, the state legislature wanted to make sure that Colorado’s children were protected from lead in drinking and cooking water sources in the locations where they spend most of their time away from home: child care facilities and schools. The legislature passed House Bill 22-1358, implemented by the Water Quality Control Division as the Test & Fix Water for Kids program. This program, launched during the 2022-2023 school year, has conducted outreach to the nearly 6,000 licensed child care facilities and public or facility schools across the state serving children fifth grade and under. Each facility was asked to identify every water fixture used for drinking or cooking, and they were provided free test kits and analyses for lead. Over the past year, the program analyzed lead at over 53,000 fixtures across the state, representing about 600,000 children at 4,700 licensed facilities and schools. Ninety three percent (93%) of the samples collected were below the program action level of five parts per billion, and the remainder, about 3,700 fixtures total, are working through remediation funded by the program.
Why focus on fixtures?
In most cases, older brass fixtures are the cause of lead in water at schools and child care facilities. Older fixtures are not certified as lead free, and the materials in the fixture, when in contact with water, can leach lead. Replacing these fixtures can be a good solution. While lead service lines or copper pipe with lead solder can also be a source of lead, testing elevated locations with a follow up flush sample can help determine if premise plumbing is a cause. Almost none of the over 3,000 flush samples collected in this program showed elevated lead due to water contact with premise plumbing, and lead service lines were not commonly used for non-residential buildings. After repairs are made, each location is retested to confirm that lead is not present. The program is expanding to middle schools in the 2023-2024 school year.
How does this program affect compliance for public water systems with the LCR?
The short answer is, it doesn’t! The results from this program are not reportable as part of the LCR and sampling conducted as part of this program do not “count” for sampling under the LCR. The good news is that when water systems do sample at these facilities, the Test & Fix Water for Kids program has already worked to get the lead out - one fixture at a time!
What can I do to protect myself and my family from lead in drinking water?
- Before drinking, run the tap for 30 seconds.
- Use only COLD water for drinking, cooking, and making baby formula. Boiling water does NOT remove lead.
- Regularly clean the aerators on your faucets.
- If you use a filter to remove lead, maintain it regularly.
