Schools across Montana are testing their drinking water for lead.
According to Montana's Official State Website, more than 380 schools have already received their results and are remediating plumbing fixtures that showed elevated levels of lead.
“The focus is on a safe environment for our Montana students to learn,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen in the state's news release. “These dollars can be used in flexible ways that best serve our Montana schools.”
According to the state, one of the available funding sources for remediation is the Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund. So far, Montana schools have already received more than $593 million dollars but only $121 million has been expended thus far. Once remediation has taken place, follow-up testing is required.
To apply for the funds the local school districts and school boards must detail how the funding will be used by submitting a plan to the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI). If a plan has already been submitted, the plan can be revised to address lead mitigation.
Other funding options available to schools to assist with the remediation costs can be found here: https://deq.mt.gov/water/Programs/dw-lead#accordion1-collapse5.
Schools were expected to conduct initial water sampling by Dec. 31, 2021, a deadline set prior to the pandemic which has delayed schools’ efforts to test for lead, but PHHS is flexible with the due date.
“We appreciate the effort schools have put forth in complying with the lead testing requirement,” DPHHS State Toxicologist Dawn Nelson said in the state's news release. “Progress is being made, and we’re eager to keep moving this important project forward. We encourage all schools to utilize the resources that are available to support this vital work.”
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) partnered with DPHHS to create the Lead in Schools Drinking Water Program.
“DEQ and DPHHS are working hand-in-hand on the Lead in School Drinking Water Program to provide support to schools and to better understand lead in school drinking water across the state,” said Greg Olsen, DEQ’s interim water quality administrator in the news release. “Identifying and remediating lead in school drinking water is important to protect children’s health.”
The cost of all initial samples is covered entirely by funding from the EPA's Lead Testing in School and Child Care Program Drinking Water Grant, authorized under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act of 2017 and administered through the DEQ.
For more information visit: https://deq.mt.gov/water/programs/dw-lead
