Colorado schools will now get funding to voluntarily test for lead in their drinking water after Gov. John Hickenlooper signed the lead-testing measure Thursday.
House Bill 1306 received bipartisan backing and plenty of support from school and health officials. Lead in drinking water can lead to long-term health problems in children.
The measure is aimed primarily at older elementary schools with the hope that all public schools will be tested and the results analyzed by June 30, 2020. The bill authorizes the state Department of Public Health and Environment to establish a grant program to test the drinking water in public schools that use a public water system.
As much as $300,000 in grants could be awarded each year for three years, and another $140,000 would be spent to implement the program. The measure also requires school districts that test for lead to contribute 10 percent in local matching funds and give the test results to the local public health agency, water supplier, school board and CDPHE.
Just seven of Colorado’s 178 school districts have tested their water for lead, and in those districts 100 schools were found to have some lead in their water, health officials said.
“The crisis in Flint, Michigan, last year brought the nation’s attention to this environmental hazard, though lead toxicity has unfortunately always been a public health challenge,” said Daniel Nicklas, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Colorado. “Lead in drinking water is extremely damaging to health, especially in young children, and research shows that there is no safe level for lead exposure, which is why prevention in schools is so critical.”
