• Testing Water for Lead in City Schools

    Beginning in the summer of 2016, the Rochester City School District began voluntarily collecting and testing water samples for lead across the district. In the fall of 2016, New York State passed a regulation requiring the testing of drinking water in schools for lead.  Part of that regulation requires the posting of the testing results. Contained in each building site folder below are the laboratory reports and a summary of results. The full laboratory reports are PDF files and the summary reports are Excel files. These reports are labeled with the facility name and address at sites that contain more than one program or school. All results are presented in parts per billion (ppb). The current New York State action level is 15 ppb.

    The sample ID naming in each document below follows the EPA's recommended guidelines. If you have difficulty determining where a sample was collected from, please contact Facilities Environmental Health & Safety for clarification.

    When a sample result exceeded 15 ppb, one of the following actions were taken:

    • The fixture was replaced and retested and put back into service if follow up testing showed acceptable results. 
    • The fixture was deemed unnecessary and removed.
    • The fixture was turned off and a hang tag placed at the valve explaining why the water had been turned off. These fixtures should not be turned on or used.

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Results By School - 2016-17 School Year

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    Both the New York State Department of Health and the Monroe County Department of Public Health have advised that school drinking water is not a significant source of lead. The Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning notes that paint in older homes and renovation projects that do not follow lead-safe work practices are the main sources for childhood lead poisoning. To learn more, please read a letter from the Coalition which can be found online at www.letsmakeleadhistory.org.

    The District will continue to take the necessary steps to provide safe drinking water for all students and staff. For more information, visit the EPA website and read the parent communications attached below. Should you have additional questions, please call the District’s Environmental Health & Safety office at 336-4005.