OAKLAND — Oakland Unified estimates it will cost $38 million to address high lead levels in water taps at its schools.

About $22 million of that estimated cost is for replacing old water lines, and $16 million to replace drinking water and sink fixtures, Oakland Unified spokesman John Sasaki told the Oakland Tribune. Under the district’s current plan, the cost will be spread out over five years, he said.

The district seeks to fund most of the work through local construction bonds and grants through state and other programs, Sasaki said. The district is amid a budget crisis that prompted the school board to approve $9 million in mid-year budget cuts.

Deferred maintenance funds, which come out of the district’s general fund every year, will also be used to pay for the fixes, Sasaki said. Every year, between three and five percent of the district’s general fund is budgeted for deferred maintenance, he said.

“This work would be funded in a way to protect classroom funding, and we are currently looking for funding to help pay for this work elsewhere,” Sasaki said. “So, there is no reason to believe that this work would cause budget reductions for the district.”

Sasaki said the $38 million figure is “a very rough estimate that requires lots of due-diligence to validate.”

Fifteen Oakland Unified schools have been found to have at least one water fixture with lead levels exceeding the federal recommended cap of 15 parts per billion, district officials said at the Jan. 24 school board meeting. Oakland Unified is testing water taps at all its schools as well as some charter schools, and has contracted the East Bay Municipal Utility District to conduct a second round of testing.

The district has already replaced some of the high-lead fixtures, and the others have been taken out of commission until they are replaced.

Advocates have urged the district to go beyond the federal guidelines and replace fixtures that have lead levels exceeding one part per billion. The American Academy of Pediatrics has deemed fixtures with any more than one part per billion of lead to be dangerous for children. Oakland pediatrician Dr. Noemi Spinazzi, at a press conference in November, said lead “mimics iron and calcium, which growing children need.” Children’s bodies can absorb a lot of lead, which stores in the bones, liver, blood and brain. It can lead to anemia, poor growth, fatigue, learning difficulties and even lower IQ levels and developmental delays, she said.

Jason Pfeifle, a health advocate for consumer group CalPIRG, delivered a petition to the school board at its Jan. 24 meeting signed by more than 1,000 people urging the district to adopt a policy that would require every water tap in the school district to be tested and for the district to not allow more than one part per billion of lead in the taps.

“Lead is extremely harmful to children’s health. Even small exposures to lead can do permanent damage to their cognitive development,” Pfeifle said at the meeting.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that the $38 million was for repairs at about 15 schools.