In the fall of 2016, as part of our commitment to ensure a safe teaching and learning environment, District 47 hired an outside firm to conduct water testing in all of its buildings. Water testing began in December 2016 and was completed at the end of January 2017. All “potable” (suitable for drinking) water sources, including drinking fountains and sinks used in food preparation, were tested in accordance with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. The vast majority of water sources tested were within EPA acceptable lead levels of 15 parts per billion (ppb). The handful of water sources that tested above 15 ppb were immediately shut off from use, mitigated and retested to meet this guideline prior to being put back in service. 

Since then, a new Illinois law requires school districts to provide parents and/or guardians written notice of test samples that exceeded 5 ppb. In accordance with the law, the District will continue to monitor water sources that tested above 5 ppb, and do its best to mitigate per the protocol mentioned above with the goal of having no traceable amounts of lead.

For more information regarding lead in drinking water, please consult the EPA’s website at https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/lead-drinking-water-schools-and-childcare-facilities.

For a water testing report summary by building, please see below:

Bernotas

Canterbury

Coventry; Coventry Mobiles - 2019

Glacier Ridge and Glacier Ridge PreK

Hannah Beardsley

Husmann

Indian Prairie

Lundahl

North

South

West

Woods Creek