Jason Hidalgo

jhidalgo@rgj.com

Students at Goodsprings Elementary School will be tested for lead exposure following an investigation in water quality across the state by the Reno Gazette-Journal and the USA TODAY NETWORK.

Testing is scheduled this Wednesday at the Clark County school, which is located about 38 miles south of Las Vegas. The testing was spurred by the Southern Nevada Health District.

“The testing is being done as a precaution,” said Lori Headrick, director of environmental health and safety for the Clark County School District. “We don’t have any data that suggests that lead exposure has occurred (in students).”

Goodsprings Elementary School was one of 23 sites with public water systems that exceeded action levels for contaminants in drinking water, according to data obtained by the RGJ on Feb. 18, 2016 from the state through a public records request as part of a joint investigation with the USA TODAY NETWORK.

23 public water systems in NV non-compliant, including 3 for lead

Of the 23 public water systems deemed non-compliant by the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection, Goodsprings was one of three that exceeded action levels for lead. Sampling from a water fountain at the school’s community center revealed lead levels of 16 parts per billion, exceeding the action level of 15 parts per billion set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Headrick says the community center is not used frequently by students.

“The school and the county have an agreement to use that community center, which is Clark County property, but we rarely do,” Headrick said. “We mainly use it during inclement weather when it’s too hot or too cold for students to go outside for P.E. or recess.”

The issue involving the community center water fountain has been fixed but requires approval from the Southern Nevada Health District before it can be turned on again, according to Headrick. Old fixtures and pipes are a common source of lead contamination but testing also will be done on the school’s main water source as a precaution as well.

“We’re going to test the source for lead and copper and then move forward to a final solution (based on the results),” Headrick said. “We’ll be looking into ways to renovate the system so we eliminate any further incidents of elevated lead levels, even though they were just slightly above the action limit.”

News of elevated lead levels get increased attention in Goodsprings because of its history of lead mining. The community also is not on the Las Vegas Valley Water District and has various individual wells. The health district indicated that it wanted to test the whole community as well but that would require more time for planning and outreach so immediate testing will focus on the children that attend the school, Headrick said. Goodpsrings Elementary is a school with a history that dates back to 1913 and has a small population of about seven or eight students, according to the school district.

In the meantime, the school is providing bottled water to students as it waits for more testing to be done. So far, the district has not heard from the Environmental Protection Agency or Nevada Department of Environmental Protection about any potential action involving the school since the district sent its report to the EPA in February.

Although the district does not expect any issues from the testing results, it is still important to take precautions, Headrick said.

“The priority for the school district, first and foremost, is the safety of the students and staff,” Headrick said. “We also expect to do more outreach with the community.”