Wakefield Schools Awarded $6K For Filtered Water Bottle Stations

WAKEFIELD, MA — Wakefield Public Schools received a $6,000 grant for the purchase and installation of filtered water bottle filling stations after the detection of lead in some drinking fixtures.

The School Water Improvement Grant, or SWIG, program gave $675,000 to 32 school districts in its first round of grants. Grants were awarded at $3,000 per fixture.

The funds are eligible to be used for buying and installing the filling stations, future testing of the fixtures and the purchase of replacement filters.

Lead testing at schools is voluntary. The state suggests action be taken if the lead level is above the Mass Department of Environmental Protection-recommended detection limit of 1 part per billion — that limit means action should be taken, not that water is necessarily unsafe to drink. Still, experts say no level of lead in water is considered safe to drink.

Detectable levels of lead in Massachusetts schools, especially older ones, is not uncommon. Most lead gets into drinking water after it leaves a treatment plant, often picking it up through older plumbing fixtures.