Tacoma school district has fired its health manager over high lead levels
May 13, 2016, 12:22 PM
The failure to act on a year-old report on high levels of lead cost the Tacoma Public School's safety and environmental health manager his job. (AP)
(AP)
The failure to act on a year-old report stating high levels of lead in school water has cost a man his job.
The News Tribune reports that Tacoma Public School’s safety and environmental health manager Ken Wilson was fired by the Tacoma School Board Thursday night. The board voted 3-1 to approve the personnel recommendation to fire Wilson, the Tribune reports.
Related: Washington school districts that test for lead
More than 10 schools reported high levels of lead in April, which lead to other cities testing their own water. Now, the district continues to test water at its schools. All sample tests have been completed, and follow-up tests will be “scheduled as needed.”
The Tribune reports that in June 2015, Wilson received water test results for Mann and Reed elementary schools that showed high levels. That includes a report for a fixture at Reed that registered levels at 2,330 parts per billion; the EPA’s limit is 20 ppb for drinking water, the Tribune reports.
As testing continues, the district has been providing bottled water for students.
Washington school districts get to decide for themselves whether to test drinking water for lead.
The state health department changed the rules in 2009, but lawmakers have never put the estimated $5 million statewide testing cost into the state budget. So a patchwork exists.
The Associated Press asked all 295 Washington school districts plus tribal districts whether they test for lead in the water. Of the 174 districts that responded to AP, nearly 40 percent said they do not test for lead. Most big, well-funded districts test their water. Many small ones do not.
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