Washington schools find dangerous lead levels in water, one source 970x the legal limit
Sep 30, 2025, 10:05 AM | Updated: 10:53 am
Signs above the drinking fountains at an elementary school discourage their use. (Photo: Scott Olson, Getty Images)
(Photo: Scott Olson, Getty Images)
More than 1,100 water sources within Washington schools have returned elevated test results for lead content above the state’s safety standards, imposing an immediate health risk to some students.
The discovery of the contaminated water came from Silver Beach Elementary School in Bellingham. Room 7 inside the school tested for 4,853 parts per billion of lead, roughly 970 times the state law’s amount, according to KING 5.
The Room 7 test results were the single highest reading of more than 10,000 tests since 2021.
“It was alarming, and we got a phone call right away from the Department of Health … and just leapt into action,” Jessica Sankey, chief operating officer for Bellingham Schools, told KING 5.
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Room 7 was not the only classroom inside the school that tested positive for contamination. In Room 1, a different sink tested for 4,375 parts per billion of lead, the state’s second-highest reading. The Room 1 sink has now been repaired and is safe to use.
The testing, mandated by state law, uncovered dangerous lead contamination across various water sources in western Washington. State records listed 1,189 school water sources were greater than the safety threshold of 5 parts per billion under state law.
Approximately 26% of the 1,189 schools returned lead content tests high enough to immediately shut down the school in accordance with Washington law.
“There’s no safe level of lead exposure, especially for children who are particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of lead as their brains and bodies are still growing and developing,” Whatcom County Health Officer, Dr. Amy Harley, told KING 5.
Other heightened lead test results included:
- Woodshop sink in Sky Valley Education Center (Monroe): 998 parts per billion
- Classroom sink in Greywolf Elementary (Sequim): 674 parts per billion
- Cosmetology lab sink in New Market Skills Center (Tumwater): 341 parts per billion
- Classroom in Sherwood Elementary (Edmonds): 323 parts per billion
Officials from the Edmonds, Sequim, and Tumwater school districts have claimed repairs were made to the affected fixtures or shut off entirely, further noting there is no ongoing health concern. Additionally, officials with Silver Beach Elementary School believe the water is now safe for use.
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