Dear Parents/Guardians and Staff,

The Verona Public Schools has taken a proactive approach to drinking water in schools to identify potential problems and take corrective actions as necessary. Only fixtures (water fountains and kitchen sinks) that have been tested and confirmed safe for drinking are operational in our schools. Any fixtures that require remediation will remain out of service until the problem has been corrected.

The US EPA has established guidelines that the district has followed. The procedures are as follows and will provide information that will aid in reading the test results from our schools.

• Determine which outlets will be sampled. Determine priorities and code outlets appropriately.
• Outlets must be inactive for at least 6 to 8 hours before testing. (Overnight is best.)
• Take a “first draw” 250 ml sample at each outlet. A “first draw” is the water that is the first to come out of the tap after the period of inactivity.
• If lead is suspected throughout system, take a 30 second “flush” sample from outlet(s).
• Send samples to a laboratory which is certified to test lead in drinking water.

30 second flush tests were conducted at several fixtures. A 30 second flush test is used to clear exisitng water out of the water fountain line and then collect a water sample to conduct further testing. The results of a 30 second flush test enable the district to identify if the issue is in the water fountain or plumbing. The district is working on replacing any water fountains or remediation of any plumbing.

More information may be accessed at the following links:

https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/tips/water.htm

User-friendly results of lead water testing for drinking water in the Verona Public Schools may be accessed at the attachment link here.

All my best,

Rui Dionisio

Superintendent of Schools