Superintendent Of Detroit Schools Cuts Off All Drinking Fountains As Some Show Unsafe Levels of Lead, Copper
Because water quality results from more than 100 schools aren't expected until after they reopen, the superintendent says the district is being extra cautious. A task force is being put together to investigate infrastructure issues, but in the meantime bottled water will be provided for students and faculty.
The New York Times:
Detroit Schools Turn Off Drinking Water, Citing Elevated Lead And Copper
When public school students in Detroit return to their classrooms next week for the first day of the school year, the water fountains will be dry. Since 2016, water testing in the district has found elevated levels of lead or copper in dozens of schools. And while it is unclear how many of the district’s 106 schools currently have water quality issues, the drinking water will be turned off in all of them, Superintendent Nikolai P. Vitti said on Wednesday. (Fortin, 8/30)
Detroit Free Press:
Detroit Schools Shutting Off Water Fountains, Other Drinking Water
"Although we have no evidence that there are elevated levels of copper or lead in our other schools where we are awaiting test results, out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety of our students and employees, I am turning off all drinking water in our schools until a deeper and broader analysis can be conducted to determine the long-term solutions for all schools," Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, said in a statement Wednesday. The move came even as officials from the city and the Great Lakes Water Authority sought to assure residents that water provided by the authority is safe to drink — pointing to the district's infrastructure as the problem. (Higgins, 8/29)
