Excessive Lead Found In 7 Water Fountains At Princeton Elementary Schools

PRINCETON, NJ — Seven water fountains in Princeton elementary schools have tested positive for excessive lead levels, according to the school district.

The state Department of Education mandates lead testing in drinking water every three years. Between December 2024 and January 2025, drinking fountains across all six Princeton schools underwent testing.

Of the 241 units tested, seven exceeded the state Department of Environmental Protection's acceptable level of 15 parts per billion, PPS said.

These fountains, all located in the four elementary schools, have been shut down, the district told Patch.

Three of these units had already been inactive for three years and were only reactivated for testing purposes.

Another unit is located in a room that has been converted to a staff copy room and is not in use. These four fountains showed the highest lead concentrations in the report.

"As soon as the test results were reviewed, the drinking outlets were shut down," said Matt Bouldin, Business Administrator/Board Secretary.

"The district will be replacing those drinking fountains and also testing the faucet water, primarily used for handwashing, at those specific outlets. It is our understanding that, typically, it is lead soldering or traces of lead in the actual device, that can create the issue. It is not the water in the whole system, but isolated occurrences with older fixtures."

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