The Lebanon R-3 School District is committed to our students and staff's safety and well-being. In alignment with that commitment and in compliance with the new Missouri state law, “Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act,” on January 26, 2024, LR3 had a professional environmental consulting firm initiate and complete testing of our water. Specifically, each possible drinking and food preparation source in our schools and buildings was sampled and tested to determine if the lead concentration in the water was above the required action level of five parts per billion (5 ppb), which is equal to 5 micrograms per liter. The 5 ppb level required by the state is well below the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) recommended action level of 15 ppb.
While the law specifies that all preschool through 12th-grade schools who receive state funding have until August 1, 2024, to complete testing at all drinking water outlets and food preparation outlets; our LR3 Facilities Director Jeff Morgan, had the testing conducted promptly. St. John Environmental Consulting was hired to test each outlet to ensure the district had time to initiate remedial measures as swiftly as needed.
Each LR3 campus had its possible drinking and food preparation water outlets tested. Of the 898 water outlets tested, 85% tested below the Missouri statutory level of 5 ppb, and 95% (854 outlets) tested below the US EPA recommended action level of 15 ppb. Among the portion of outlets that tested above the state level of 5 pbb, only 18 were a designated drinking water source. You can view the results shared by building here.
District facilities teams have already begun working with St. John Environmental Consulting to remedy every source that needs attention. Steps include:
- Identifying and marking water outlets that do not meet statutory requirements with "Not for drinking/cooking" signage.
- Determine if the lead's source is within the building's pipes or contained within the particular water fixture where water is being dispensed.
- Install filters on the school water lines, sinks, and water fountains as needed per state guidelines.
- Complete follow-up testing to ensure the lead results are below five parts per billion.
Prior to being used again, water from each source will be tested to ensure the issue has been resolved. We will communicate additional results after testing takes place.
Full lead testing results for each school are located below.
You can find resources from the Centers For Disease Control website here for information on lead and exposure.