Schools

Lead Testing Scheduled for Brick School Water Systems

Elevated lead levels had been found in five schools' water supplies

Testing to find the source of elevated lead levels in the water supply at five Brick schools has been scheduled to take place over the upcoming Christmas break.

The district was notified by an environmental testing contractor that the however preliminary findings did not suggest an immediate health hazard to the building occupants, the district said at the time.

The schools affected are: Drum Point Elementary School; Brick Township High School; Emma Havens Young Elementary School; Lake Riviera Middle School; Osbornville Elementary School.

Find out what's happening in Brickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The test is being done over the break since the buildings must be unoccupied for the testing, which will be extensive, to be completed, said Jim Edwards, the district's business administrator.

"The testing that they're going to be doing is quite extensive," said Edwards, explaining that testing will be done at every outlet, and throughout the water system, which will need to be shut down.

Find out what's happening in Brickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Altogether, the process will take several days, Edwards said.

The results of the testing will come in by Jan. 17, according to Garden State Environmental, the contractor performing the tests, district officials said.

After the testing is completed, GSE will recommend an action plan, said Robert Vogel, director of facilities for the Brick school district. The remediation plans may be different in different schools, he said.

Remediation could include anything from installing a charcoal filter to completely abandoning water pipelines in school buildings and constructing new ones, Edwards said.

Since some schools were built between 1952 and 1958, when lead was used in piping, the internal water system could be the source.

"There's a good probability that the fittings, or the joints, is causing leaching," said Edwards.

Though the current school water system can still be used for washing objects, it cannot be used for consumption. In the mean time, water coolers have been placed in several areas of each school, including kitchens, said Superintendent Dr. Walter Uszenski.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here