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IEPA testing finds Bethalto school drinking water meets standards; district to reopen fountains
Summary
An unnamed district presenter told the Bethalto CUSD 8 board that Illinois EPA testing showed no exceedances and staff recommended resuming use of school water fountains and kitchen water; IEPA and district staff will continue monitoring.
An unnamed district presenter told the Bethalto CUSD 8 board that testing by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency found the district's drinking water "meets all state and federal water quality standards," with "no exceedences" for parameters tested, and recommended reopening water fountains and resuming use of district water in school kitchens as soon as the following day.
The presenter said the IEPA sampled both the water treatment plant and residential locations and specifically listed schools among the sample sites. The report, read to the board, named contaminants tested including lead, copper, iron and coliform and concluded no exceedances were found. "The drinking water meets all state and federal water quality standards. No exceedences have been found," the presenter said while reading the agency's findings.
District staff told the board they had paused installing drinking-water filters at the start of the school year because discolored ("brown") water was seeping through the new filters and would have made them ineffective. The presenter said the district plans to install the filters on the drinking portion of fountains before putting them back into regular use.
A board member asked whether the district had a proactive monitoring plan rather than waiting for reports of discoloration. The presenter replied custodians — who are usually first in the buildings — will continue to check water and alert building staff, and the district can immediately pivot back to on-site Culligan supplies or bring in bottled water if discoloration returns. The presenter also said the IEPA will continue monitoring the previously tested locations, and that a staff member named Dallas will carry out local monitoring at specific schools.
A staff member provided the testing timeline cited in the report, saying IEPA sampled village locations and district schools in three rounds: 8/28 (round one), Sept. 3 (round two, noted also as Sept. 3–4 in the discussion) and Sept. 11 (round three). Board members present signaled they were comfortable with the presenter's recommendation to resume use of district water.
The board opened the meeting for public comment and indicated a doctor would be asked to speak next.
