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Clayton County Public Schools Announces Lead and Copper Drinking Water Testing Plan for all Schools & Facilities
Clayton County Public Schools Announces Lead and Copper Drinking Water Testing Plan for all Schools & Facilities
Posted on 05/01/2018
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Superintendent of Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS), Dr. Morcease J. Beasley, is pleased to announce that CCPS has identified GLE Associates, Inc. (Architects, Engineers, Environmental Consultants) as the vendor to conduct lead and copper testing of drinking water throughout the school district.  Founded in 1989, GLE Associates, Inc., was selected through the school district’s Request for Proposal (RFP) Bidding Process and identified as a company with extensive experience in working with private and public sectors in multiple states to spearhead the school system’s lead and copper drinking water tests.  The RFP Bid Process started May 2017.  

“We are very pleased to be moving forward in this process as we continue to ensure that our school environments are safe and conducive to our Commitment to High Performance in every way,” said Superintendent Beasley. “Our students and employees deserve to attend as well as work at the best schools we can offer and contracting GLE is just one of several ways we are working to provide that environment.”  

With an office in Atlanta, Georgia, the Lead-Safe Certified Firm will work in collaboration with CCPS Department of Operations and Maintenance to conduct lead and copper testing of drinking water throughout the school system this month.  The testing of drinking water for lead and copper is a proactive approach by school district leaders to provide the highest level of support and service to ensure students and staff have safe and clean learning and working environments.   

There is no federal law that requires the testing of drinking water in schools, except for schools that have their own water supply and are regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).  According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines, it is suggested that schools implement programs for reducing lead in drinking water as part of the school’s overall plan for reducing environmental threats.    

Therefore, CCPS is working with GLE to create a testing schedule, which began in February 2018 and will resume throughout the summer and into the 2018-19 school year. The District has notified school leaders and administrators to ensure employees observe the testing schedule which will occur before and after operating hours, on weekends and during officially scheduled district closings.     

Clayton County Public Schools will also adhere to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Guidance Document, “3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools -  Revised Technical Guidance” Manual. (EPA Document 816-B-05-008, October 2006 (Revised)). This guidance manual is intended for use by school officials responsible for the maintenance and/or safety of school facilities including the drinking water. The guidance introduces the 3Ts for reducing lead in drinking water.

  • Training school officials to raise awareness of the potential occurrences, causes, and health effects of lead in drinking water; assist school officials in identifying potential areas where elevated lead may occur and establishing a testing plan to identify and prioritize testing sites.

  • Testing drinking water in schools to identify potential problems and take corrective actions as necessary.

  • Telling students, parents, staff, and the larger community about monitoring programs, potential risks, the results of testing, and remediation actions.

The scope of the work will consist of an inventory to determine the number of faucets and water fountains in the District’s schools, offices, and facilities; in addition to completing a plumbing profile for each building. Once complete, a sampling plan will be created based on the results of the inventory and plumbing profile and samples will be submitted to an EPA and State-approved laboratory for lead and copper analysis.  Upon the return of the testing results, corrective action will be immediately taken to address any concerns, as necessary, and a final report will be published to share with all stakeholders.   

“We are confident in the ability of GLE and our Department of Operations and Maintenance to work together to identify and resolve any issue as it relates to lead and copper testing and we look forward to a positive working relationship for all parties,” concluded Dr. Beasley.

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