Drinking and cooking water at Charlottesville City Schools has been tested for lead following state and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidance. Action is required when testing finds lead at levels greater than 15 parts per billion (ppb). The most recent drinking/cooking water results are all below this limit.

In 2016-2017, all schools’ high priority faucets (sources of drinking or cooking water) were tested. Samples were collected by the City of Charlottesville Facility Maintenance and were tested by several labs.  Out of the 326 fixtures, initially 9 tested higher than the 15 ppb threshold set by the EPA (and were temporarily taken out of service at that time). Following EPA protocols, a second test was conducted in January 2017, and at that point, 4 fixtures were cleared for use and 5 required additional attention. After measures were taken to address those 5 fixtures, they were tested again in February 2017, and all 5 met EPA standards. The 5 fixtures — located at Burnley-Moran (2), CHS, Jackson-Via, and Johnson – were then reopened for use.

• Find all results here

Having received full clearance for high priority fixtures, Charlottesville’s Facilities Maintenance department has adopted the following preventative measures, as recommended by the EPA, to ensure that drinking water remains safe:

• Clean debris from accessible screens (aerators) frequently. Clean and inspect periodically.
• Thoroughly flush holding tanks to remove sediment.