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Upper Darby SD operations reports zero lead or copper exceedances in 2024–25 water testing
Summary
District operations reported all 65 samples tested below EPA thresholds for lead and copper and described fixture replacement and filtration standards used when any lead is detected.
The district’s director of operations told the Finance and Operations Committee that all 65 water samples collected across district schools in the 2024–25 testing cycle were below EPA thresholds for lead and copper.
Marvin Lee, identified in the meeting as the district director of operations, said the district collects five samples per school (kitchen, nurse’s office, first-floor fountain twice, and second-floor fountain), draws 250 milliliters per sample after pipes have stood unused 8–18 hours, and submits samples to an outside lab for analysis. He told the committee the Environmental Protection Agency threshold for lead is 0.015 milligram per liter and for copper is 1.3 milligrams per liter; the district’s testing returned no results above those thresholds this year or in the last five years.
Lee said the district’s average detected lead level is 0.003 milligram per liter — roughly 80 percent lower than the EPA threshold stated on the slide — and that copper was detected at low levels in many samples. He emphasized that small amounts of copper are not a health concern and, where any detectable lead appears, the maintenance team follows a two-step mitigation process: replace fixtures with products meeting high standards (NSF/ANSI/CAN61 and state standards referenced in the presentation) and install under-sink filters as added assurance.
Lee said the district’s earlier investments in bottle-filling hydration stations on each school floor helped reduce exposure risk. He told the committee that the district uses standards such as NSF/ANSI 372 and state laws limiting lead in plumbing fixtures as criteria when replacing faucets and noted the district installs certified lead-free fixtures and filters where needed.
The committee received the water-testing report as informational; there was a brief technical question about whether filters were installed on the cold-water line only, and Lee replied that the slide example was demonstrative and staff would make sure both water lines are addressed as needed.
