Bill seeks to require all Maine public schools to test for lead in drinking water

[TexasTowelie]

AUGUSTA — In the wake of last year’s lead contamination crisis in Michigan, a Portland-area lawmaker is proposing that all public schools in Maine be required to periodically test drinking water for the presence of the toxic heavy metal.

Under current law, schools and day care facilities that have their own water supplies are required to test for lead at least once a year, yet there is no similar requirement for schools served by municipal water systems. A bill sponsored by state Sen. Rebecca Millett, D-South Portland, would expand that requirement to schools and day care facilities connected to public water systems and would require that the Maine Department of Education publicly release test results upon request.

While many public schools have begun testing their water for lead, there is currently no centralized database showing those test results and any remedial actions.

The proposal follows several incidents in Maine – most recently at elementary schools in Yarmouth and Benton – where voluntary tests showed lead levels exceeding the federal standard requiring action.

Read more: http://www.pressherald.com/2017/02/15/bill-seeks-to-require-all-schools-test-for-lead-contamination/