Bottled water urged in Seattle schools

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

Bottled water urged in Seattle schools
Board member expresses concerns to Manhas on inconsistent lead tests

By DEBORAH BACH
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

A Seattle School Board member met with Superintendent Raj Manhas yesterday, urging him to bring back bottled water at a number of schools over concerns about inconsistent lead tests and other contaminants.

Sally Soriano, chairwoman of the board's policy and legislative committee, presented a list of the schools to Manhas, who ordered further review.

A preliminary list yesterday named 28 schools, including these elementary schools:

Adams, Alki, Bryant, Concord, Gatewood, Greenwood, Hawthorne, Lawton, McGilvra, Maple, Orca, Thurgood Marshall, Olympic Hills, Schmitz Park, John Stanford International School, Stevens and Whitworth.

Also on the list were the African American Academy, Catharine Blaine, Madrona and TOPS K-8 schools.

Hamilton International and Washington middle schools were listed, along with five high schools: Roosevelt, currently housed in the old Lincoln school building while it undergoes a renovation; Franklin; John Marshall alternative; Nathan Hale; and West Seattle.

The district conducted tests earlier this year to check for lead, cadmium, iron and other contaminants in school drinking water.

Based on those results, repairs were made at many schools during the summer, including replacing all fountains and pipes at four schools. As of Oct. 1, fountains had been turned back on at 38 schools.

But Soriano said the fact that only two-thirds of district fountains were tested for cadmium, combined with fluctuating lead levels in one school that was retested, Alternative Elementary No. 2, prompted her to ask Manhas to shut off water at some schools until safety concerns are addressed.

"Parents need to feel that their children are safe with the drinking water in the schools, and I don't think that's happening," she said.

Neither the committee nor the school board as a whole has formally addressed Soriano's request or voted on the issue.

District spokeswoman Patti Spencer said Manhas has referred the matter to Ron English, an attorney for the district who is overseeing the water tests and repairs, and asked him to report back on Soriano's request.

The policy and legislative committee has agreed to adopt a maximum level of 10 parts per billion for lead in drinking water, twice as tough as the 20 ppb standard recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The committee is still deliberating on standards for iron, copper and other materials considered aesthetic or "secondary" contaminants.

P-I reporter Deborah Bach can be reached at 206-448-8197 or deborahbach@seattlepi.com

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