School water to be cleaned up

SEATTLE – The Seattle School Board has approved spending up to $15 million to ensure the district has some of the cleanest school drinking water in the nation, after contamination was found in many fountains.

The three-year plan approved Wednesday night helps resolve a controversy that swirled for almost a year after parents found lead in discolored drinking water at Wedgwood Elementary. Subsequent tests found high levels of lead in 25 percent of fountains and faucets across the district.

The new policy sets a maximum lead-contamination level of 10 parts per billion – more stringent than the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended limit of 20 ppb.

Superintendent Raj Manhas must report by March 10 on how he will achieve the new level. The school board’s vote also establishes a citizen-oversight committee and ensures that future district levies will ask taxpayers for money to pay for water-quality projects.