The well system at Bonny Eagle High School recently passed a second round of testing, according to district officials. However, the levels of lead and copper were not low enough to warrant an immediate reversion to a three-year testing cycle, according to Amy Stillings of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Last fall, the EPA found unacceptable levels of lead and copper in the well water at 19 parts per billion for lead and 1.67 parts per million for copper. In order to pass the test, the lead in the water must be below 15 parts per billion and copper must be below 1.3 parts per million. Officials believe the construction of new bathrooms at the high school disturbed old pipes and caused the contamination.
Since the fall, officials have been collecting 20 samples. Subsequent testing in December showed that the levels had fallen to six parts per billion for lead and .62 parts per million for copper, close to the national average. The results in March showed about the same. The school must still pass a series of annual tests before they can go back on a three-year testing cycle. Those tests will be conducted during the summers of 2006, 2007 and 2008.
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