Data Source
The Lead in School Drinking Water (LISDW) data are test results from sampling conducted by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) staff between January 2018-June 2023. Results from sampling and testing carried out by other entities such as contractors, are not included.
Rationale for Inclusion
The LISDW data can provide information about potential lead contamination and lead levels in public schools’ drinking water systems in Washington. This will allow both the public and school employees to have an in-depth view of lead contamination at their schools and school districts.
Information About the Data
The LIDSW data presented are from water sampling carried out by DOH both prior to and after the enactment of Chapter RCW 28A.210.410 RCW and Chapter 43.70.830 RCW in 2021, which made lead testing in school drinking water a requirement for schools built or all plumbing replaced before 2016, and lowered the remediation lead level to greater than 5 parts per billion (ppb) – “elevated lead level.”
- Years: 2018-2023
- Coverage: Public schools that had lead sampling and testing carried out by the DOH
- Geography: State, County, School District, and Individual School
- Statistics: Total number of schools sampled, Total number of samples, Percentage of results by sampling result category, county, school, district, and fixture type
Caveats
- Please note that Chapter 28A.210.410 RCW and Chapter 43.70.830 RCW enacted in July 2021, changed the requirements for testing school drinking water for potential lead contamination. (1) Lead testing in drinking water at schools used to be voluntary and is now mandatory for all public schools in Washington built or with all plumbing replaced before 2016, to conduct initial testing between 2014 and 2026 and every five years thereafter. (2) The law reduces the remediation lead level from greater than 10 ppb to greater than 5 ppb.
- While some test results obtained before 2021 may have met the previous threshold and therefore did not require remediation at the time of sampling, those fixtures may now require remediation to meet the lower remediation threshold requirement of RCW 28A.210.410.
- It is possible that school districts completed remediation activities for fixtures with results greater than 5 ppb but post-remediation testing was carried out by entities other than DOH. Those data are not included here but may be included in the future.
Information About the Selectable Layer
On the “Detailed Results for Each School/Detailed Test Results” tab, you can click on either the county, district, or school name in the school list to filter results and map to show that location or you can click a dot on the map to filter for that specific school. The dropdown menus will restrict the school list to either the specified county, district, or school for easier selection.