More than 60 Long Island school districts had excessive lead levels: data

· New York Post

More than 60 Long Island schools had drinking water with lead levels that blew past new state maximums, according to newly released data from the Department of Health.

Over 40 Suffolk County school districts and more than 20 Nassau districts had test results from faucets or water fountains that showed lead levels exceeded 5 parts per billion , the data showed.

The state limit went into effect in 2022, more stringent from than the prior max of 15 parts per billion.

Nearly 70 Long Island school districts have running water containing lead levels that exceed the state’s legal limits. Mirror-images – stock.adobe.com

The state’s data does not disclose how high the lead levels were at each school, only how many water outlets in each school throughout every district exceeded the limit.

All 64 districts that tested above the threshold are now required to take the affected water fountains or faucets out of service and provide free alternatives to students while immediately implementing a remediation plan, according to state rules. 

Each district affected is also required to notify its staff and parents — many of whom are not happy with the state’s findings — of the positive test results in writing. 

Brentwood Unified School District in Suffolk County is among the leaders in the region in number of outlets containing elevated levels of lead. New York Post

“It makes me ask to think about — like are my kids just ingesting brown, lead-filled water all day? They need to fix this immediately,” Bay Shore dad Rich Santos said.

Bay Shore’s high school exceeded lead limits at six water outlets, the state data showed.

“You send your kid to school assuming the basics are covered — clean water shouldn’t even be a question,” he added.

Parents in Bay Shore are not happy about the school district’s water quality. Google maps

Jayden Curry, a student at Brentwood High School — one of the districts found to have excessive lead levels in its water — said he’ll be asking his mother to buy him a large water bottle to carry around at school.

“It will be annoying to carry that jug with me but I am not drinking any lead water, that’s for sure,” he quipped. 

Lead exposure can be harmful, especially to children, and can potentially cause brain damage, learning disorders, delayed growth, and even speech or hearing impediments.

The state DOH emphasized that its testing program is designed to identify these infrastructure problems and force corrective action, adding that schools are required to retest water after remediation before fountains can be placed back into service.

Nassau County districts found to have an outlet or outlets with excessive lead levels:

  • Baldwin
  • Bethpage
  • Cold Spring Harbor
  • Freeport
  • Great Neck
  • Hempstead
  • Herricks
  • Hewlett-Woodmere
  • Hicksville
  • Island Park
  • Long Beach
  • Lynbrook
  • Malverne
  • Massapequa
  • North Bellmore
  • North Shore
  • Plainview–Old Bethpage
  • Port Washington
  • Syosset
  • Uniondale
  • Valley Stream
  • Westbury

Suffolk County districts found to have an outlet or outlets with excessive lead levels:

  • Amagansett
  • Babylon
  • Bay Shore
  • Brentwood
  • BOCES
  • Center Moriches
  • Central Islip
  • Cold Spring Harbor
  • Commack
  • Comsewogue
  • Connetquot
  • Copiague
  • East Hampton
  • East Islip
  • Eastport–South Manor
  • Fire Island
  • Greenport
  • Hampton Bays
  • Harborfields
  • Hauppauge
  • Huntington
  • Islip
  • Kings Park
  • Lindenhurst
  • Longwood
  • Middle Country
  • Montauk
  • North Babylon
  • Northport–East Northport
  • Patchogue–Medford
  • Riverhead
  • Sachem
  • Sayville
  • South Country
  • South Huntington
  • Southampton
  • Southold
  • Three Village
  • Wainscott
  • Westhampton Beach
  • William Floyd