Superintendent flags water testing, PFAS and an underfunded CVHS replacement

Superintendent Williams (Speaker 4) told the Chino Valley Unified School District governing board on July 13 that facilities work and drinking-water quality were major drivers of her busy June calendar and would require continued attention and funding.

Williams said Del Rio and CVHS wells are approaching newly tightened arsenic standards set by Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and that changes scheduled in the coming years will reduce acceptable arsenic thresholds. "We're talking, like, minuscule barely traceable amounts of arsenic, but they keep lowering the standard," she said, adding the district’s next official well testing is scheduled for 2028 and the district is already pursuing funding and technical work to avoid emergency measures.

She also warned that PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) requirements coming in 2029 could require point-of-entry filtration or connection to municipal water and sewer—expensive projects that the district hopes to fund through grants and partnerships where possible.

On facilities, Williams said the CVHS replacement project recommended by the state School Facilities Board is underfunded by $1,440,000 because state funding was calculated using older adequacy guidelines. She said she has met with state officials and expects to continue negotiations to close that funding gap.

Williams described completed and ongoing projects funded through forest-fee distributions and the school facilities board, including weatherization at Del Rio and finish work on gym and HVAC projects. She said district staff are exploring options such as extending sanitation infrastructure if grant funding materializes.

What’s next: The district will pursue grant opportunities, continue liaison with state agencies and monitor test results and program funding.