Maryland Schools Test Water for Lead

Montgomery and Prince George's public schools have begun collecting drinking water in an effort to reassure residents after reports of lead contamination in the District of Columbia and Arlington, the Washington Post reported.

The samples will be tested by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, the water utility for the two counties.

The first results, from Maryvale and Columbia Park Elementary School in Landover, are likely to be released Thursday.

When tests of the residential drinking water in the two counties were taken in 2002, readings were found to be well below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limits. However, because EPA did not require it, the water quality at the schools was never tested, the Post reported.

Montgomery will test 20 public schools, and Prince George's County will test 12. The buildings selected were constructed before 1986, when authorities stopped using lead solder on plumbing fixtures and pipes. A still-undetermined number of private schools and day-care centers also will be tested.

Source: Washington Post