CUMBERLAND, R.I. (AP) - Tests have revealed high levels of lead in the water at three schools in Cumberland.
WPRI-TV (https://bit.ly/2mR0p8v ) reports the school district has shut off access to water from fountains and faucets at the Garvin Elementary School, the John J. McLaughlin Elementary School and the McCourt Middle School. Bottled water is being provided to the schools.
Cumberland school Superintendent Robert Mitchell wrote in an email to parents that pipes and faucets will be cleaned and flushed in the short term, and eventually replaced.
A state law passed last year requires the Rhode Island Department of Health to test lead levels in all schools. An agency spokesman says 16 of the 550 tests completed so far have revealed levels above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s action level of 15 parts per billion.
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Information from: WPRI-TV, https://www.wpri.com
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