Lead found in the water at dozens of school districts across Long Island
The newly released report comes after the state lowered the acceptable levels of lead that can be found in school drinking water in 2022.
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Do you know what your kids are drinking?
According to newly released data, the New York state Health Department found that dozens of school districts across Long Island have found lead in their water this year.
The numbers come after the state lowered the acceptable amount of lead that can be in school drinking water from 15 parts per billion to five parts per billion.
In total, more than 40 school districts in Suffolk County and over 20 in Nassau County tested positive under the state's stricter limit, according to the state.
Data initially released publicly by the state showed that all 70 samples taken at Connetquot High School came back positive, but now the district is refuting those claims.
In a letter to the community, Connetquot Superintendent of Schools Joseph Tanen Centamore wrote that there was "an error in the state’s publicly reported database."
The letter reads:
I am writing to address a recent media report regarding lead levels in the drinking water at Connetquot High School. The information shared in that news story is inaccurate, due to an error in the state’s publicly reported database. After becoming aware of the news report, the district immediately contacted state officials, who have acknowledged the error and are working to correct the mistake on their end.
To be clear, in our most recent round of testing, 70 outlets at CHS were assessed and only two were found to have elevated levels. Those outlets were immediately taken out of service and remediated. They were then retested and the new samples were found to be within proper levels. To reiterate, at this time, all high school outlets are in full compliance, as are the outlets at our other school buildings.
We understand that reports involving water quality and student health can be concerning. Please know that the safety and well-being of our students and staff is always our highest priority. If you have questions or would like additional information about our water testing procedures or results, please do not hesitate to contact the district office or our facilities department directly.
In response, a spokesperson for the state Health Department confirmed the error.
The Connetquot Central School District’s website is correct – with two exceedances above the action level, not the 70 currently appearing on State Health Department’s website. The discrepancy is due to a reporting error that has since been identified, and the Department is working to update our website. It should be noted that any exceedances must be reported to the local health department which are then reported to the State Health Department – the data is just one reporting mechanism. The two exceedances were properly reported to the local health department, and appropriate steps were taken to remove the impacted outlets from service until remediation could be completed. Community members are encouraged to refer to the school’s website if they have any questions about water testing results.
Through the Lead in School Drinking Water testing requirements, the State Health Department is helping schools identify taps with elevated lead levels so that they can remediate outlets of concern, ensure there is adequate drinking water for students and staff, and provide that information to the school community.
In response to questions about where the error came from and whether the rest of the data was complete, a state Health Department spokesperson said the school district made the initial mistake.
"The school district initially uploaded incorrect data and subsequently corrected the error, however, this correction was not made in time to be included in the most recent data upload on the Department’s website. The Department has updated the website today and the school district’s corrected data is now available. The Department has no reason to believe the data for other school districts are incorrect."
Last week, the Farmingdale School District notified parents that elevated lead levels were found in water at several school buildings there.
Lead in drinking water can pose serious health risks, like slowed development, especially in children, which makes the latest data from across Long Island that much more concerning.
According to the state, schools that test positive for lead above the legal limit must immediately shut down any contaminated drinking water, provide alternative water to consume free of charge, implement a remediation action plan and conduct post-remediation testing.
Long Island school districts with positive lead tests:
(According to the New York state Health Department)
Nassau County
Baldwin
Bethpage
Cold Spring Harbor
Freeport
Great Neck
Hempstead
Hewlett-Woodmere
Hicksville
Island Park
Lynbrook
Malverne
Massapequa
North Bellmore
North Shore
Plainview-Old Bethpage
Port Washington
Syosset
Uniondale
Valley Stream
Westbury
Suffolk County
Amagansett
Babylon
Bay Shore
BOCES
Brentwood
Center Moriches
Central Islip
Cold Spring Harbor
Commack
Comsewogue
Connetquot
Copiague
East Hampton
East Islip
Eastport
Fire Island
Greenport
Hampton Bays
Harborfields
Hauppauge
Huntington
Islip
Kings Park
Lindenhurst
Longwood
Middle Country
North Babylon
Northport
Patchogue-Medford
Quogue
Riverhead
Sachem
Sayville
South Country
South Huntington
Southampton
Southold
Three Village
Wainscot
Westhampton Beach
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