Drinking Water Quality Program
Drinking Water Quality at Seattle Public Schools
Seattle Public Schools considers student health and safety as a top priority. In 2004, our School Board adopted a Drinking Water policy and we implemented a set of rigorous protocols which established nationally recognized standards for safe drinking water quality in public schools. Those included periodic testing of each drinking water source in each school, coupled with reporting of the results.
In 2021, the Washington State legislature adopted new laws that reduced the levels of lead in drinking water that will meet their standard. The new legislation also requires that all water quality testing be conducted by the State Department of Health (DOH) or by contractors certified by them. Seattle Public Schools can no longer perform sampling and testing that will comply with the new requirements.
Water Quality School Report
Historical results for all schools are still available online. You can find reports for each school (generally a summary of the current status, and results for ten years of testing performed between 2010-2020).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do any drinking water fixtures in SPS schools test above the Department of Health 5ppb for lead?
No
Do any SPS schools non-drinking water fixtures, like sinks, test above 5ppb lead?
Some may, if this happens, we post a sign reminding students (and everyone else) that it is not a drinking water source. Students and staff are made aware that our fountains/bubblers are the drinking water sources and that sinks are not drinking water sources. As the EPA points out, “Bathing and showering should be safe for you and your children, even if the water contains lead over EPA’s action level. Human skin does not absorb lead in water.”
What is the standard in Seattle Public Schools?
Seattle Public Schools follows the Washington state law (RCW 28A.
210.410 and RCW43.70.830) which requires all schools built, or with plumbing replaced, before 2016 to be tested for lead. SPS will remediate any lead in samples testing over 5ppb and shut off any fixture testing higher than 15ppb.
How often are drinking water sources in Seattle schools tested for lead?
Per current regulation all schools must have their drinking water tested for lead at least once between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2026, and then every 5 years thereafter.
When regulatory requirements for sampling standards changed Seattle Public Schools could no longer sample independently in house and began partnering with the Department of Health (DOH) for drinking water sampling. The DOH is scheduled to begin sampling SPS schools in September of 2025. DOH will be sampling the sites still requiring the one-time testing during the school year 2025-26. Testing will continue every 5 years thereafter.
What happens if a drinking fixture tests above 5ppb?
The district will create an action plan for remediation if lead levels exceed 5ppb. The district will also provide public notice online and allow community comments on those remediation plans. For example, some remediation may include the installation of a filter system on that fixture, or the fixture may need replaced, repaired, or removed.