Washington County Public Schools

Good afternoon, WCPS Families and Staff --

Now that testing has been completed at the five schools that returned a positive result following initial water testing for lead in all Washington County Public Schools’ buildings, we wanted to provide you with an update of our next steps. 

As context, the first testing information was shared with you on November 7 which included the following information. On October 26, 2024, new regulations approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) required water that is used in schools be tested for lead by 2028. Those regulations require water to be tested only at daycares and elementary schools, however, WCPS took the testing further, and had samples also taken from our middle schools and high schools. To be ahead of the 2028 timeline, we partnered with the Washington County Service Authority and tested five fixtures at every school (at least two fixtures in the kitchens and two or more water fountains in various locations throughout the school building).

There are three possible results from testing:

• Non-detect: Practice good water habits

• Less than 10 parts per billion (ppb): Consider risk mitigation such as flushing before use

• Greater than 10 parts per billion (ppb): Stop using the water source and take remediation steps

The initial test results that we received in November found that four of our schools had at least one fixture that tested less than 10 ppb (Meadowview Elementary – two fixtures, Watauga Elementary – one fixture, Glade Spring Middle School – one fixture, and Holston High School – two fixtures). One school had two fixtures that tested above 10 ppb (Greendale Elementary). After we received those results, we took additional precautions at those schools immediately. Only fixtures that tested non-detect are available for cooking purposes at these schools – this is above and beyond the protocols recommended by the EPA. We also immediately discontinued the use of consumable water fixtures at those five schools (e.g. drinking fountains) the moment we received the initial testing results. Since that time, we have been providing bottled water for students and staff. We also took additional steps and installed a new water cooler at all schools in our division. These water coolers are equipped with five different filters that are designed to remove lead and other impurities.

With testing at the five schools now complete, we have several remediation options moving forward:

• Permanently discontinue the use of fixtures that had elevated testing levels

• Add a filter system to the fixture

• Replace the fixture and supply lines to the fixture

Our maintenance team has already identified those inventory needs and are in the process of ordering the necessary parts to begin making those changes. Following mitigation efforts, we will retest those fixtures before putting them back in service. We have been given clearance to use all points of contact that have returned “non-detect” results.

We also plan to conduct more testing at the remaining 11 schools in our division. Testing will be conducted on all drinking fountains as well as all water sources in the kitchens.

As a further safeguard, we also plan to develop a schedule where schools are randomly tested every three years even though that is not currently required.

As we move through this testing and remediation process, we will continue to work with the Washington County Service Authority and the Office of Drinking Water to ensure we are taking all needed steps to keep our students and staff safe. We will also continue to stay in contact with the local Health Department. Complete testing results for Glade Spring Middle School, Greendale Elementary, Holston High School, Meadowview Elementary, and Watauga Elementary, as well as additional information, which includes an FAQ, and a helpful flyer, can be found at this link on our website: https://washingtoncountypsva.sites.thrillshare.com/documents/washington-county-service-authority-information/722977

If you have any questions or concerns, we will continue to partner with the agencies referenced above to share the latest information and provide the safest possible environment for our students and staff.