Contaminated Drinking Water Found in Colorado Schools—Report

Lead contaminated water has been detected in Colorado's 10 largest school districts, according to a new report.

An analysis released by the Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG) on Thursday showed that over 2,000 water fixtures across the 10 districts tested positive for high levels of lead and that even a year after testing, more than half have yet to be fixed. The report was conducted as part of the group's "Get the Lead Out" campaign that calls on schools to eliminate lead from kids' drinking water.

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"Kids may be out of school for the summer, but schools have a lot of homework to do to ensure sources of lead-contaminated drinking water are addressed before kids return in the fall," Kristin Schatz, a clean air advocate at CoPIGR, said in a statement.

Lead is considered a serious environmental toxin. Exposure can be particularly harmful to children as it can affect how they learn, grow and behave. There is no "safe" level of exposure for children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Newsweek reached out to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) via email for comment.

Colorado elementary schools and child care centers that serves grades preschool through fifth grade were required by a 2022 state law to test drinking water for lead, to report those results publicly by May 2023 and to remediate any water sources that had levels of lead of 5 parts per billion (ppb) or more.

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According to the new report, 2,201 drinking water sources recorded lead amounts at or above that 5 ppb. Only 36 percent of those sources had been remediated as of the reporting date, CoPIGR found.

"Knowledge is power," Schatz said. "Parents armed with the state's lead testing results should have an easier time getting school administrators to 'get the lead out' and if they are not responsive, it should be easier to hold them accountable."

CoPIGR has called on school districts to go beyond what is required by the 2022 law and remediate drinking water sources that tested positive for any lead, not just those that record amounts at or above that 5 ppb threshold.

The schools and child care centers covered under the law serve almost 600,000 children in Colorado, according to a December 2023 Legislative by the CDPHE.

On the list is Denver Public Schools (DPS), the state's largest district. But Joni Rix, the environmental service manager for DPS told FOX31 that not all the water sources that are tested are used.

"When we did our first round of samples, anything that tested at 4.5 or above was tagged or turned off or taken out of service so that it could not be used as a drinking water source until we can confirm a repair has been fixed," Rix told the local outlet.

Rix added, "We do know that lead is detrimental and it does affect kids. And, certainly, we don't want to harm anyone's health while they are in our buildings. We want to make the best environment that we can for our kids and our staff."