In early 2004, Seattle Public Schools
(SPS) began a major project to improve the water quality in its schools, primarily in
response to concerns about lead levels at drinking water fountains, but also because of the
aesthetic appearance of the water at many schools, i.e., discolored water. At the start of
the project, approximately 80 of SPS' schools and facilities were either fully or partially
plumbed with older galvanized steel piping. Approximately 60 of these schools are more
than 40 years old. Also, many of the service lines supplying water to the schools are
older cast iron pipes. Discolored or "red" water is a
significant problem at many of Seattle's schools, and is a common problem in many older
Seattle-area buildings as well. The aesthetic-related iron / discolored water issue was not
easily understood or distinguished from the health-related lead problems by many
students, parents, teachers, and the press. Hence, the presence of discolored water called
into question the overall piping conditions in schools and tended to heighten concerns
over the safety of the water sources in the schools. One of the objectives of the SPS' water quality project was to establish appropriate
standards or action levels for contaminants of concern, including iron. Because there are
no regulations that apply to drinking water quality within buildings (with the
exception of the Lead and Copper Rule as it applies to water purveyors), SPS was faced
with the challenge of establishing a criterion for iron at water sources within its schools
that would meet the concerns of the public while at the same time be a measurable and
achievable standard. Nine months after initiation of the water quality project, and after considerable discussion
and debate, the SPS Board passed a policy for water quality in its schools (the Adopted
Procedure for Drinking Water Quality and Access, or more commonly referred to as the
"Water Policy"). This policy includes specific criteria and actions for addressing iron.
The intent of the Water Policy as it applies to iron is to ensure there are plentiful supplies
of aesthetically pleasing water throughout each school, but that it is acceptable to have
some drinking water sources in each school that exceed iron standards because students
who find the water aesthetically unacceptable at a particular source can use other nearby
sources with more aesthetically pleasing water. Includes tables.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 180 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 7 |
| Published : | 11/01/2005 |
