ELPS Board Approves Lead Testing at All East Lansing Public Schools

East Lansing Board of Education approved testing for lead in all of its buildings last night, with the added hope that the contractor will discover the cause of discolored water in MacDonald Middle School.

The Trustees unanimously approved a contract for $26,200 to Materials Testing Consultants Inc. to test all the drinking water throughout the eight school buildings – a total of 613 sites. Each site will be tested twice, with additional testing possible pending the results, Financial Director Rich Pugh told the Board.

Trustees Yasmina Bouraoui and Erin Graham had both received complaints that the water in the sixth grade wing of the middle school – the newest expansion to the school – was often discolored.

Pugh said he looked into the matter and it was the “educated guess” of the maintenance staff that the orange tint to the water was caused by rust. The main trunk line providing water to the school has never been replaced. It is made of galvanized steel and likely to be rusted, Pugh said. The rust is most noticeable following a weekend when the water is not in use and disappears after a few hours.

He will ask the contractor to make sure they do additional tests to confirm that the substance is indeed rust.

“We have no reason to believe it has anything to do with lead,” Pugh said.

The lead testing came about after a faucet at Glencairn Elementary School was found to contain high levels of lead. The faucet is no longer in use, and while the plumbing has been replaced, high levels are still being recorded.

Resident Jim Anderson was the only public comment of the short, special meeting. He urged the Board to consider incorporating science teachers and students into studying the drinking water quality in the schools.

“It has struck me that this is a wonderful opportunity to bring in our science students and teachers,” he said, referring to the drinking water contamination in Flint. “We are 45 miles from not just a disaster but a catastrophe that is getting world-wide attention and might change this country and the world, hopefully for the better. We should bring our students into it.”