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Renton School District

Water Testing Program

Input request - Renton School District's Action Plan for the reduction of lead in drinking water

Renton School District monitors drinking water at all district facilities following EPA standards. In response to new legislation (RCW 28A.210.410), the district is reviewing past water quality testing and has developed a plan to address drinking water outlets that do not meet the new threshold for lead in drinking water. To comply with the new standard, Renton School District will take action on all water outlets with lead levels greater than 5 parts per billion as outlined below:

  • Flush drinking water outlets regularly
  • Remove water outlets from service if lead exceeds 15 parts per billion
  • Remediate outlets with lead levels that exceed 5 parts per billion as follows:
    • Clean or replace aerators
    • Repair or replace fixtures using certified lead-free materials
    • Retest water to ensure remediation
    • Communicate test results with Washington State Department of Health (DOH) following remediation

We need your feedback, you can provide input on this Action Plan by emailing laska.whiteaker@rentonschools.us. Feedback is requested by Friday, October 28. The School Board will consider adopting this Action Plan at the November 9, 2022 Board Meeting.

For more information on the health effects of lead, visit the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and/or Environmental Protection Agency websites.

 RCW 28A.210.410 (formerly House Bill 1139) 

To address concerns about lead in drinking water and to reduce children’s overall exposure to lead in the environment, Washington State Legislature passed RCW 28A.210.410 requiring all public school buildings built before 2016 to test drinking water for the presence and level of lead contamination by June 30, 2026 and every five years thereafter.

In response, Renton School District has developed an Action Plan to identify drinking water outlets testing higher than the newly adopted standard of 5 parts per billion, remediate contaminated fixtures, and report water quality information. The district will partner with Washington State Department of Health (DOH) on the Action Plan and water quality testing. 

Voluntary Water Quality Testing

Renton School District contracted with Washington State Department of Health (DOH) in April 2019 to test drinking water outlets for lead at all district facilities. Detailed testing results by school location can be found on the DOH website at Lead in Drinking Water in Schools. 

No facilities in the district were found to have facility-wide lead contamination, although individual fixtures at some facilities were found to exceed the EPA recommended threshold of 20 parts per billion lead. The cause of lead contamination at these sites was determined to be lead-containing water fixtures, remediation of contaminated fixtures included the following steps:

  • Immediate removal of the fixture from service (water dispensers provided when necessary)
  • Cleaning or replacement of the aerator, fixture, and filter
  • Flushing water lines
  • Retesting water to ensure remediation

DOH identified 32 water outlets with lead levels that exceeded 20 ppb. All 32 sites were remediated and results from follow up water quality testing were below 20 parts per billion lead. 

For questions about water quality testing or Renton School District's Action Plan for the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water contact Laska Whiteaker by email or phone at 425-204-4426.