Lead and Radon Testing Largely Clear; Maintenance and Garage Buildings to Undergo Remediation Investigation
Summary
District testing found no classroom lead issues and low radon in tested schools; maintenance building (slab-on-grade) and a transportation garage showed samples above the EPA's residential action guidance for radon, and staff will investigate remediation options.
Facilities staff reported completion of annual lead testing in December and the first round of radon testing for roughly half of district buildings.
On lead, staff said primary drinking-water sources and bathroom-sink samples showed no action-level results and "things looked fantastic across the district." On radon, the first round found generally low results in schools, but the maintenance building and a transportation garage — both lacking standard ventilation — produced multiple samples above the U.S. EPA's residential guidance level of 4 picocuries per liter.
"All but 1 sample came back above the EPA's recommended...action threshold of 4 picocuries per liter," a facilities presenter said regarding the maintenance building; staff clarified that EPA guidance is residential in nature and described plans to investigate slab construction and mitigation options. They estimated, by reference to other districts' work, that remediation for a similar building could be less than $10,000 but said a district-specific assessment is required.
Next steps: facilities will engage a radon-mitigation contractor to investigate slab and ventilation solutions and will return remediation proposals to committee for review and funding approval as needed.
