Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

The discovery of toxic levels of lead in drinking water in Flint, Michigan and other cities has renewed awareness about the danger lead exposure poses to public health. The adverse health effects associated with exposure to even low levels of lead are severe, and lead is particularly dangerous for young children, because their bodies absorb it at higher rates than adults. According to the CDC, lead has been linked to hyperactivity, anemia, physical and learning disabilities, and slowed growth. Drinking water in schools is of particular concern, because it is a daily source of water for over 50 million children enrolled in public schools. The pattern of school schedules—including time off over weekends and extended breaks—can contribute to standing water in the school’s plumbing system. If there is lead in the plumbing system, the potential for it to leach into water can increase the longer the water remains in contact with the plumbing.

While there are no federal lead standards or requirements directly regulating schools that receive water from public water systems, these water systems themselves are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR), as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act. The LCR does not directly address individual schools that are served by a public water system. As a result, the federal government has a limited role regarding lead in school drinking water. States and school districts may establish their own requirements or procedures for testing and remediation, such as replacing a water fountain or installing a filter.

GAO was requested to examine efforts to address lead in school drinking water. Our objectives are to examine the extent to which:

1) school districts are testing for, finding, and remediating lead in school drinking water;

2) states require or support testing for and remediating lead in school drinking water by school districts; and

3) federal agencies collaborated in supporting state and school district efforts to test for and remediate lead.

To address our first objective, we surveyed a stratified, random sample of 549 school districts and obtained a weighted response rate of 67 percent. We also conducted site visits to or interviewed officials with 17 school districts (across five states) with experience testing for lead in drinking water and selected to vary in population density. To address our second and third objectives, we used site visit information, obtained information on state efforts from state officials, and interviewed federal officials. We also reviewed relevant documents, such as EPA guidance and a memorandum of understanding, as well as federal and state laws and regulations.

Our report will make several contributions to discussions at the intersection of educational and environmental policy, such as providing estimates from the first ever nationwide survey of school district efforts to test for and remediate lead in school drinking water and identifying areas to improve federal support of these efforts.