EBMUD helps Oakland schools test for possible lead contamination in water

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The East Bay Municipal Utility District is now helping the Oakland Unified School District test drinking water on all its campuses to root out possible lead contamination.

"East Bay MUD has been supporting the Oakland schools," explained Andrea Pook, EBMUD spokesperson, "and, actually, all the schools in our service area to ensure that there is no lead leaching from faucets and taps at their particular facilities."

The issue came to light after district staff discovered unacceptable levels of lead at McClymonds High School.

"So, we went out and tested the water," said John Sasaki, spokesman with OUSD, "And found there were some issues in the showers, in the kitchen and a couple of water fountains across campus."

RELATED: Tests show 3 San Francisco schools with high levels of lead in water

That led to more testing over the past several months. So far, of the 70 schools tested by OUSD, signs of contamination have been discovered at 10 of the campuses. In the worst case, water from a kitchen tap at Glenview Elementary was found to contain lead at a level of 60 parts per billion -- four times that recommended by the federal government.

In addition to replacing suspect fixtures, separate dispensers have been placed in the hallways at schools like McClymonds, to make sure students and staff have clean sources of drinking water.

Click here to find out the results at the schools that have been tested so far.

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