Federal Grants Proposed to Fund Testing for Lead in School Water Supplies

A measure in Congress could create a federal grant program that would fund water testing in schools and daycare centers in New York. The proposed legislation comes in the wake of reports across the nation of water with high levels of lead in drinking water.

The bill, announced by Senator Church Schumer, would reimburse school systems and daycare centers for the costs of testing water from school water supplies, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal. A test of lead levels in water costs about $50, but water from each set of pipes or water supplies would need to be tested individually.

Two elementary schools in upstate Ithaca have been found to have dangerous amounts of lead in their water, according to WKBW.com in Buffalo.

The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1986 requires lead-free pipes in buildings, but buildings that predate the act did not have to remove lead pipes. Senator Schumer noted that many school buildings were built before 1986.

PHOTO: Senator Chuck Schumer/Creative Commons via U.S. Congress