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District spends $13,000 to address elevated manganese at Middle Smithfield; bottled water and fountain restrictions used as precautions
Summary
After tests showed manganese above DEP guidance at Middle Smithfield, district staff installed retention tanks and used bottled water and disabled fountains for young children; staff reported spending $13,000 on the emergency action and said follow-up tests are pending.
East Stroudsburg Area SD facilities staff updated the Property and Facilities Committee on water-quality testing at Middle Smithfield after elevated manganese readings were detected before the winter break. Staff said they took immediate action to protect drinking water and spent $13,000 to install retention tanks and related filtration adjustments.
According to staff, the issue likely stemmed from drought-driven changes in water sources earlier in the year, which changed manganese concentrations in the supply. Staff said the district flushed the system and soaked filters on Christmas Eve and then retested; the manganese levels improved but remained above Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) guidance for infants under 6 months of age. As a precaution, staff bagged drinking fountains serving students and provided bottled water while further treatment and testing proceeded.
Over the following week, the vendor Prosser installed retention tanks to lengthen filtration contact time; staff reported that action cleared the issue. Bacterial tests were still pending at the time of the committee update; staff said they expected satisfactory bacterial results but would keep the committee informed and report final results to DEP when complete.
Committee members asked whether the advisory affected older students; staff said the DEP criteria that triggered action applied primarily to infants younger than 6 months. Staff confirmed that most students carry personal water bottles and that water access for older students remained manageable while the remediation took place.
Staff characterized the $13,000 expense as an emergency decision to ensure clean water and apologized for notifying the committee after acting; the committee accepted the report and asked staff to provide final test results and DEP reporting when available.
