District 88 conducts voluntary water testing

At District 88, the safety, health and well-being of students and staff is the No. 1 priority.

As part of that focus, the district recently worked with Aires Consulting to complete voluntary water testing in the district’s three buildings (Addison Trail High School, Willowbrook High School and the District 88 Office). While this was not a requirement, District 88 elected to conduct testing as a proactive step to ensure its water is safe for consumption and meets the standards and laws regarding lead concentration. Sinks, drinking fountains and ice machines designed to provide water used for human consumption and food preparation were assessed.

WHAT ARE THE STANDARDS?
In January 2017, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law a requirement that Illinois public schools and day care centers constructed before the year 2000 that serve students up to fifth grade complete lead testing of drinking water sources. Under the law, known as Public Act 099-0922 Lead in Water Testing (LWT), any sample that tests above 5 parts per billion (ppb) will require school administrators to notify parents/guardians. That standard is a reduction from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulation, which states the action level for concentration of lead in public water systems is 15 ppb.

WHAT WERE THE RESULTS FOR DISTRICT 88? WHAT ACTIONS WILL BE TAKEN BASED ON THOSE RESULTS?
Each location/device listed below was tested twice, in accordance with the law. To view the full results, click on the links below or the PDFs at the bottom of this page.

District 88 Office

• Results: All areas tested (seven locations/devices) met the LWT standard of 5 ppb or below.
  
  
• Actions: No action is needed.

District 88 Office full water testing results

Addison Trail

• Results: 95 percent of the areas tested (81 locations/devices) met the LWT standard of 5 ppb or below.
  • Two locations tested above the EPA standard of 15 ppb. One is a woodshop sink faucet, which isn’t meant to produce water for human consumption. The other was a water bottle fill unit, which has been removed.
  • Five locations (including the two mentioned above) tested above the stricter LWT standard. The other areas are water fountains and a kitchen sink. Out of those five locations, four are sources of water meant for human consumption (as mentioned above, one area is a woodshop sink faucet not meant for human consumption). Of those five locations, four met the national EPA standard for safe drinking water sources. However, District 88 is electing to use the higher LWT standard of 5 ppb to ensure the well-being of students and staff and will therefore implement the following action steps.
    
    
• Actions:
  • A sign will be placed by the woodshop sink to clarify this water source is not meant for human consumption.
  • The water bottle fill unit has been removed. As a precaution, the water fountain to which the unit was attached also will be replaced.
  • The water fountains that tested above 5 ppb will be replaced.
  • The kitchen sink faucet will be replaced.

Addison Trail full water testing results

Willowbrook

• Results: 95 percent of the areas tested (62 locations/devices) met the LWT standard of 5 ppb or below.
  • Two locations (a kitchen sink and a water fountain) tested above the EPA standard of 15 ppb. However, both areas tested below the LWT standard of 5 ppb on one of their two sample draws.
  • Three locations (including the two mentioned above) tested above the stricter LWT standard. The third was a water bottle fill unit. District 88 is electing to use the higher LWT standard of 5 ppb to ensure the well-being of students and staff and will therefore implement the following action steps.
    
    
• Actions:
  • The kitchen sink faucet was removed.
  • The water fountain has been temporarily taken out of service. The first test sample was below the LWT standard, so the district will investigate the water supply piping to this area to determine whether further action is needed.
  • The water bottle fill unit will be removed.

Willowbrook full water testing results

District 88 plans to test water sources meant for human consumption in the future to ensure all drinking water remains safe for students and staff. For more information about lead and drinking water, go to https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water.

For questions or more information, contact District 88 Chief Financial Officer Ed Hoster at ehoster@dupage88.net or 630-530-3970. Thank you for your continued support of District 88.