Indiana officials to begin testing for lead in public school water

Final exams and the school year may be coming to a close, but this summer another kind of testing will be underway at more than 700 of Indiana’s public schools.

State officials plan to investigate drinking water for lead contamination. The Indiana Finance Authority will travel across the Hoosier state to collect samples from drinking fountains, sinks and other fixtures.

Water testing will be led by the environmental arm of the Indiana Finance Authority, which oversees state funds from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The IFA recently awarded a $1.63 million dollar grant to the Indiana Geological Survey and all of that money will be used to pay for the tests.

The organization has planned to investigate water in schools for months, but it’s needed more than ever as several reports of lead contamination have come in from all over the state.

Because of the widespread concern, the National Association of State Boards of Education plans to develop a national protocol to help schools respond.

State officials plan to compare this summer’s water measurements against e-p-a lead action levels, identify contaminated water fixtures and replace them by fall.