Lead In The Water

Oregon Maps School Lead Levels

By Rob Manning (OPB)
Portland, Oregon Dec. 7, 2016 9:20 p.m.
A drinking fountain at Rose City Park School in Portland has been closed because elevated levels of lead were found in some schools' water. Districts around Portland are also testing their water to make sure it is safe.

A drinking fountain at Rose City Park School in Portland has been closed because elevated levels of lead were found in some schools' water. Districts around Portland are also testing their water to make sure it is safe.

Jonathan House / Portland Tribune

Oregon health officials released an interactive map Wednesday showing which schools have tested their water for lead, and which have not.

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The Oregon Health Authority’s map lets you click on most local schools to see their lead test results.

Almost every public school in the city of Portland has submitted results — with several charter schools as the main exception. All the Grant and Morrow county schools have submitted results, but so far Oregon’s database doesn’t show results from any schools in Hood River County.

Some schools tested in recent months, after Portland and other districts found high levels of lead in drinking fountains and sinks. Other districts run their own water systems and are under federal mandate to test them, particularly in rural parts of the state.

Schools face a January 2017 deadline to submit Healthy and Safe School Plans with the recommendation that all school facilities be tested for lead.

The results vary a great deal from school to school. Some districts that have submitted results have also outlined steps to reduce lead levels from above the federal standard of 20 parts per billion.

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