Dear PUSD Families,
The safety and health of our students and staff across Poway Unified are of the utmost importance for the District. With this in mind, we wanted to notify you that we have requested lead testing of our schools’ water supplies.
While not required, a recent action by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) now allows for school districts to request free lead testing in schools. PUSD schools are served by three different water providers: City of Poway, City of San Diego, and Olivenhain Municipal Water District.
The water testing in PUSD will begin on May 16
, 2017, in partnership with the City of Poway. It is anticipated that the testing at the following 12 school sites with water service from the City of Poway will be completed by mid-June: Chaparral Elementary, Garden Road Elementary, Midland Elementary, Painted Rock Elementary, Pomerado Elementary, Tierra Bonita Elementary, Valley Elementary, Meadowbrook Middle School, Twin Peaks Middle School, Abraxas High School, Poway High School, and the CTE/Adult Education campus.
Testing will occur before the school day begins to avoid any disruptions to learning. Up to five samples will be taken at each site. The sampling locations may include drinking fountains, cafeterias, and food preparation areas. The city will analyze the water samples and notify the school district of the results. All results will be posted online on the
Water Testing Results page as they are received. The testing will take several weeks to complete.
If results indicate there is lead above allowable levels, District staff will notify the school and affected staff and students, determine the source of contamination and take appropriate action on a case-by-case basis (e.g., turn off water, replace fixtures and/or make plumbing repairs).
The District will also be requesting lead testing for our remaining schools served by the City of San Diego and Olivenhain Municipal Water District. Once an official request is made, water providers have 90 days to respond. Testing requirements state that all water testing must occur during the school year. As a result, water testing will pause during the summer months, and resume in Fall 2017. School districts have until November 1, 2019 to request testing from public water providers.
Poway Unified looks forward to working collaboratively with our water providers, to continue to provide safe, reliable and healthy water for our families and staff. Click
here for the answers to frequently asked questions. For additional information about the new water testing program, please visit the State Water Resources Control Board
page on lead sampling in schools.