NHDES releases report of lead in drinking water at New Hampshire schools and child care facilities

A recently issued report from NHDES details the results of the first of three rounds of testing for lead in drinking water at New Hampshire K-12 schools and licensed child care facilities.  

The “New Hampshire Lead in School and Child Care Drinking Water" report shows that during the first round of testing, sample results from over 23,000 drinking water outlets from 625 schools and 594 licensed child care facilities were processed. Results show that one out of five child care facilities and three out of five schools had at least one drinking water outlet that tested at or above the 5 ppb action level. Overall, 14% of all water outlets sampled had a result at or above the 5 ppb action level, 25% had a result between 1 and 5 ppb, and 61% showed no lead detected. 

The most up-to-date test results and remediation information are available on the NHDES website.  

All K-12 schools and licensed child care facilities are required by state law to test all drinking water outlets available for consumption by children, including drinking fountains, classroom sinks and kitchen sinks. A revision to the state law in July 2022 lowered the action level for this program from 15 parts per billion (ppb) to 5 ppb and changed the timing of the testing; three rounds must be completed by June 30, 2024. Facilities should be well into round 2 of testing at this point.  

Facilities must remediate, eliminate or reduce lead levels at all drinking water outlets that test at or above 5 ppb. Remediation information was collected for 92% of drinking water outlets that required it. The most common methods of remediation were permanently removing the water outlet from service or posting no drinking / handwash only signage (51%) and replacing the outlet with a new fixture (16%). 

The NHDES Get the Lead Out of Drinking Water Program was created with funding from the EPA Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act to support schools and child care facilities in meeting the testing and remediation requirements, which includes free testing for all child care facilities and public schools. In addition, the New Hampshire Drinking Water and Groundwater Trust Fund has awarded $1.6 million for remediation grants for public and private schools, and is working with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services to establish a grant program for child care facilities. Information about the remediation grant can be found on the Get the Lead Out webpage and is anticipated to be available this fall. 

Lead does not occur naturally in New Hampshire’s drinking water sources but can enter drinking water due to the wearing away of older piping, plumbing fixtures or solder. Lead is harmful to humans and animals, causing health problems such as high blood pressure or nervous system disorders. Children under the age of 6, including unborn babies, are the most at risk because their growing bodies absorb more lead than adult’s bodies do. 

Visit gettheleadoutnh.org for information about the Get the Lead Out program and all sampling results. Facilities interested in resources can also contact the program at Info@gettheleadoutnh.org or (603) 506-6469.