Latest round of testing finds DC school has elevated lead levels at 3 water sources

WASHINGTON - There are new concerning results in lead water testing at D.C. Public Schools. On Wednesday afternoon, data from the latest round of lead tests found what many parents are worried about - elevated lead levels at the Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan school in Northeast D.C.

The results show lead was found at three water locations at the school - a janitor's sink and two outdoor water spigots - not places where children normally drink water.

However, residents in this neighborhood said they remain concerned and they remember the lead scare that the city dealt with about ten years ago. They said they want action and not excuses.

"As many funds that come into the schools and everything, this problem should have been resolved," said Wanda Ganus.

"It should have been taken care of if they knew the lead was here," said James Miller. "This is an old building. They should have been checking this."

FOX 5 spotted several utility crews at the school, but none of them would talk to us. Lead tests were performed at the school a week ago on April 27. Every water source in the building was tested and three non-drinking water sources had lead levels above the Environmental Protection Agency standard of 15 parts per billion.

The janitor's sink had 140 parts per billion while the two outdoor spigots had 34 and 44 parts per billion of lead in the water. All three of those water sources at the school have been taken out of service.

But all of the drinking water inside the school appears to be below the EPA threshold.

Seventeen water sources at 12 D.C. Public Schools tested positive for elevated lead levels. The school system is under fire for doing a poor job of keeping parents up to date about this problem. But on Wednesday evening, a meeting for parents was held for parents at the school.

D.C. Councilmember David Grosso (D-At-Large) told FOX 5 on Wednesday he is launching an aggressive effort to test the water at all D.C. Public Schools and charter schools in the city.

"We're moving forward now and asking the city to do a full test of every school, every water source in the school to make sure that we cover every building where the kids are trying to learn," said Grosso. "That's true with charter schools as well as traditional schools."

A parent at Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan told us she was so concerned about her son that she had him independently tested for lead and those tests came out normal. In a letter from D.C. Public Schools, parents are being instructed to contact their own pediatrician if they have concerns.

The D.C. Council has scheduled a hearing on this at the Wilson Building on June 22 that will bring together school and environmental officials.