Texas will begin a program to test drinking water in thousands of elementary schools and child care facilities across the state.
This will be the first time the state’s roughly 25,000 schools and child care facilities will undergo mandated water inspections for lead and copper, since the state did not previously have any testing requirement, reported The Texas Tribune.
The Lead & Copper Rule requires community water systems to sample 20% of elementary schools and 20% of child care facilities per year and full implementation of the rule in Texas will be required by January 2024.
According to Toby Baker, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) agency’s executive director, the agency has at times assisted school districts in testing water in the past. This is only if the school district requested help.
As a result of the changes made to the Lead & Copper Rule, the agency will be responsible for overseeing a plan to test tens of thousands of water systems that serve children throughout the state over the next three years.
“At this early stage, TCEQ is still evaluating the new requirements of this complex rule and has not fully determined yet how to implement the rule as revised,” said Gary Rasp, a spokesperson for the TCEQ. “TCEQ is not aware of any guidance provided by EPA to the states.”
The TCEQ requested $8 million from the legislature to create a program to test water in schools and child care facilities and oversee corrective actions by water systems, reported The Texas Tribune.
Current Senate and House budgets proposed for the state include $7.1 million for the program.
