Unused Pipes Lead to Water Quality Problems at a CHCCS Campus

As Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools continues preparation for a wider return to in-person instruction at its campuses, issues with its drinking water quality have arisen.

Assistant Superintendent Patrick Abele shared a message with CHCCS families and staff Tuesday afternoon saying the district detected levels of copper and lead from a hand-washing sink at Ephesus Elementary School. The sink is in a classroom that’s gone unused since the school moved to remote learning last March. The discovery was made during water tests across the system’s campuses.

According to the Orange Water and Sewer Authority, the detection was most likely the result of nearly a full year of under-utilization and stagnant water in the pipes.

“We are confident that these results do not suggest a larger issue with lead and copper across the community or within the school facilities prior to the pandemic,” said OWASA Executive Director Todd Taylor in a statement. “In fact, in 2020, we conducted testing of samples taken from 30 older homes known to have copper plumbing and lead solder. Results found no detectable levels of lead and no levels of copper above the EPA action level.”

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools confirmed it will continue conducting water tests and flushing pipes throughout the district in preparation for the reopening of schools. The district has already begun further testing of pipes, fountains, sinks and toilets within Ephesus Elementary School.

District staff will meet weekly with OWASA, according to Abele, as the flushing process is expected to extend into the spring.

The assistant superintendent also told families and staff CHCCS will work to upgrade all kitchens with industry-standard filtration for water used in food preparation. For drinking water, the district will provide bottled water for students and staff to drink at all facilities, while also encouraging them to bring in their own filled water bottles.

“The water in our sinks is absolutely safe for hand washing,” wrote Abele, “but our fountains have already been closed in accordance with our reopening plan, as we cannot be sharing water fountains during the pandemic.”

Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools currently conducts Adapted Curriculum classes in person. Other cohorts of students are expected to return the week of April 19 for orientation, while all staff will be returning to classrooms on April 12.

Photo via WTOC.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

‹

Chatham County Utility Customers Will Switch to TriRiver Water in July. What Does That Mean?

The Haw River Assembly hosted a public information session to assuage Chatham County water customers' concerns about an upcoming utility merger with TriRiver Water.

Children of Flint Water Crisis Make Change as Young Environmental and Health Activists

Dozens of children of the Flint water crisis — now teenagers and young adults — have turned their trauma into advocacy.

Local Governments, Water Agencies React to New Federal PFAS Regulations

Local water agencies in Orange, Chatham and Durham counties shared their support of new rules against "forever chemicals" in drinking water.

Pittsboro Shares Updates on Latest 1,4 Dioxane Testing as Weekend Begins

UPDATE: The Town of Pittsboro shared an update Friday evening, saying trace amounts of 1,4 dioxane were returned in rapid tests taken from the raw water intake on Friday morning — leading officials to believe the chemical slug has reached the town. The results from Wednesday and Thursday, which Pittsboro’s received Friday, came back with […]

'A Long Time Coming': Pittsboro Commissioners Share Comments on Approved Utility Merger

The Pittsboro Board of Commissioners unanimously approved its side of a utility merger with the City of Sanford on July 24.

Decades After the Dangers of Lead Became Clear, Some Cities Are Leaving Lead Pipe in the Ground

Written by MICHAEL PHILLIS Prandy Tavarez and his wife were expecting a baby when they bought a four-bedroom house in a well-kept neighborhood of century-old homes here. They got to work making it theirs, ripping off wallpaper, upgrading the electrical and replacing windows coated in paint that contained lead, a potent neurotoxin that can damage […]

Pittsboro Shares Public Comments on Water, Sewer Merger Agreement with Sanford

On June 26, Pittsboro residents shared thoughts on the draft interlocal agreement of a merger with Sanford's water and sewer utilities.

Racism Seen as Root of Water Crisis in Mississippi Capital

Written by DREW COSTLEY Carey Wooten spent nearly seven weeks hunting for safe drinking water for herself, her two children and three dogs after clocking out each day as a Taco Bell manager, so Gov. Tate Reeves’ announcement that the water is clean again in Mississippi’s capital came as welcome news. But the crisis in the city […]

Water Quality Activists React to Pittsboro’s Decision to Investigate Polluters

From Taylor Heeden, Chatham News + Record Staff Pittsboro resident and Clean Haw River co-founder Katie Bryant was preparing to celebrate her birthday on June 17 in a unique way — attending a national conference in Wilmington about PFAS pollutants with representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency and N.C.’s Dept. of Environmental Quality. What Bryant didn’t […]

Unused Pipes Lead to Water Quality Problems at a CHCCS Campus

As Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools continues preparation for a wider return to in-person instruction at its campuses, issues with its drinking water quality have arisen. Assistant Superintendent Patrick Abele shared a message with CHCCS families and staff Tuesday afternoon saying the district detected levels of copper and lead from a hand-washing sink at Ephesus Elementary […]

›