AWWA JAW65912

Following a lead remediation program in Seattle (Washington) Public Schools, a field testing program was undertaken to assess the variability of lead at school drinking water sources. Results from 768 samples (384 first-draw and 384 flushed samples) found that the mean lead concentration was 3 µg/L, considerably less than the 21 µg/L measured before the remediation. The highest lead levels and greatest variability in sampling results were observed for end-use plumbing that contained standard brass components with ~3-8% lead. Relatively low lead concentrations and sampling variability were observed for water sources with low-lead water fountains and plumbing components. Study results showed that implementation of a program involving replacement of end-use plumbing with nonleaded materials significantly reduced lead levels in drinking water sources within Seattle Public Schools. These findings also indicated that the likelihood of lead release in school drinking water fountains can be assessed on the basis of the characteristics of end-use plumbing configuration at each source. Includes 14 references, tables, figures.