Water Quality Testing

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic the Department of Health suspended our 2020 drinking water quality testing program. Prior to the COVID-19 closure we completed water quality testing at 12 of our Elementary schools and have posted those results here. All fixtures testing over 9 ppb have been repaired or replaced and will be retested when testing resumes later this spring. Drinking water quality will be tested at all school sites.

School Lead Testing Guidance

The District is working with the Washington State Department of Health for our Elementary School water quality testing and with PBS Environmental & Engineering for our Middle and High Schools. PBS Environmental & Engineering is an Environmental consultant company who designs, performs and monitors water quality testing for a number of districts in the region. Cold water samples were collected from every tap used by students for drinking or used to prepare food for students. These were “first draw” samples, in which the water is allowed to sit in the plumbing system for eight to eighteen hours before the sample is collected. Samples were analyzed by our Public Health Laboratory using EPA method 200.8.

2020 Water Testing

 During the last full water quality testing:

• Staff collected 862 water samples from 788 sampling sites at 35 building locations over a period of about six months following the EPA water collection process and criteria.
• Water sources included drinking fountains, food prep sinks. ice makers, and other known fountains or sinks used as a drinking source.
• Water sources were collected and tested at two main points: first draw is at the fixture and the second draw is a “flush test” that checks levels in the water lines.
• Each water sample was assigned a unique identification number that correlates to a master drawing. PBS Environmental oversees a chain-of-custody documentation that is cross-matched with the drawings and water container labels before being delivered (within 24 hours) to the independent testing company.