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Katonah-Lewisboro Schools Test Water Supply For Lead

KATONAH, N.Y. -- With elementary schools in New York state having one more day to take samples of both drinking and cooking water to have them tested for lead,  the Katonah-Lewisboro district has announced new protocols.

Water samples will be taken in Katonah-Lewisboro schools to test for lead in drinking and cooking water to comply with new regulations.

Water samples will be taken in Katonah-Lewisboro schools to test for lead in drinking and cooking water to comply with new regulations.

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Officials said tests gave "very good results" last year and the district has been testing school drinking water for "many years," exceeding testing requirements related to "safe operation of our well systems and our water supply," said a release from the school district.

But now, due to change in New York state laws, as of Sept. 6, all public and charter schools are required to test for lead content in the water drawn from all outlets used for drinking or cooking.

The requirement applies to all schools, whether the water supply is from a well or from a municipal source, according to the announcement. 

Schools serving grades pre-K through five are required to sample the water by Friday, while schools serving grades six through 12 have an Oct. 31 deadline.

The district is working with the Westchester County Department of Health to comply with the new protocol, said the release.

This protocol has been designed to assist both the county Department of Health and the schools in gaining information that could be used in the event that the test results indicate that remediation is required. 

Test results are expected to be provided to the district about seven days after the sample date. 

Each school must submit the test results to the Westchester Department of Health within 24 hours of the receipt of the laboratory results. 

The published information must include a remediation plan, if necessary. 

If remediation proves to be necessary, any repaired fixture must be retested before it is returned to service. 

The new law requires that schools retest their entire buildings once every five years in addition to the ongoing tests still required by Health Department. 

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