Water monitoring programs ongoing in schools and day-care centers

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Water in Oklahoma's schools and day-care centers is safe for children to drink without the threat of lead exposure, a top state official told the federal government. <br><br>In

Saturday, April 24th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Water in Oklahoma's schools and day-care centers is safe for children to drink without the threat of lead exposure, a top state official told the federal government.

In his response to a request from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality executive director Steven A. Thompson said Oklahoma officials haven't had to investigate widespread lead contamination in schools.

``Much of Oklahoma has hard water and is noncorrosive,'' Thompson said. ``We have no indication that a special monitoring program would be warranted to investigate potential lead contamination in Oklahoma.''

The EPA request was made after news reports of seriously elevated levels of lead in drinking water in Washington, D.C.

Benjamin Grumbles, the head of the EPA's Office of Water, asked states to provide information on programs used to protect children from lead in the drinking water at schools and day-care centers.

Children, especially preschool children and infants, are most at risk from health effects associated with lead exposure, including a delay in physical and mental development.

In his April 16 response to Grumbles, Thompson said the state was aggressive in implementing the 1988 law on lead contamination.

``During 1989 and 1990, in collaboration with the Oklahoma Department of Education and the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, our staff contacted each school and day-care facility in the state and informed them of the recall of specific water coolers potentially containing lead-lined reservoir tanks,'' he stated.

``We also urged them to collect water samples for lead analysis in accordance with the guidance provided by the Environmental Protection Agency.''

Thompson said the state analyzed 1,745 samples.

``We followed up on the isolated problems revealed by this sampling, and the issues were addressed by the schools by replacement of plumbing,'' he said.

Local public water supply systems have continued with some monitoring, Thompson said.

Schools and day-care facilities with their own water supplies are monitored under the state's regular lead and copper program.

Of the 65 schools and day-care facilities that fall under that category, only one school in the state exceeds lead levels.

That school has provided bottled water to the children for four years as the school attempts to fix the problem, Thompson said.

Of 1,281 water systems that fall under state regulation, he said, only one other system is under enforcement orders for exceeding lead levels.