School Daycare Lead Awareness

*NOTE: all references to child care facilities apply to licensed child care facilities only.

At Pennsylvania American Water, we are committed to providing safe, reliable water service to our customers —including children while attending the schools and childcare facilities we serve. Lead exposure can pose serious health risks, and we’re here to help educate, support, and provide resources to help reduce the potential exposure to lead in drinking water.

Our Commitment to Safe Water in Schools and Child Care Facilities

Lead in drinking water can originate from plumbing materials and fixtures within buildings, especially in older facilities. While the water leaving our treatment facilities meets or surpasses drinking water standards, including those related to lead, water that flows through internal plumbing can still be affected by lead-containing materials.  As your trusted water provider, we offer:

  • Expertise to help schools and child care facilities understand the risks of lead.
  • Support for testing water and identifying potential sources of lead.
  • Guidance on taking action to reduce potential lead exposure.

How Lead Gets Into Drinking Water
Lead typically enters drinking water through corrosion of lead pipes, faucets, and plumbing materials. The risk increases when water sits in pipes for extended periods. See the diagram below illustrating potential lead sources in school and child care facilities.

illinois amwater potential sources of lead

Health Risks of Lead
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Exposure to lead in drinking water can cause serious health effects in all age groups. Infants and children can have decreases in IQ and attention span. Lead exposure can lead to new learning and behavior problems or exacerbate existing learning and behavior problems. The children of women who are exposed to lead before or during pregnancy can have increased risk of these adverse health effects. Adults can have increased risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney or nervous system problems.

Increase Risk of Lead in Schools and Child Care Facilities
Extended periods of water stagnation, such as weekends, holidays and seasonal breaks, can lead to higher lead concentrations in drinking water within these facilities. When water remains in pipes or plumbing components containing lead, it increases the risk of lead leaching into the water. During extended breaks, proper flushing of plumbing before reoccupying the school or facility is essential to maintain water quality in the internal plumbing system and should be performed biweekly while the building is closed, if possible, and again the days immediately prior to opening. Sampling is the only way to determine whether lead is present in a facility’s drinking or cooking water. The EPA mandates water providers to offer lead monitoring to help identify these risks.

How Pennsylvania American Water can Support Schools and Child Care Facilities

We’re here to help schools and child care facilities meet their lead reduction goals with:

  • Testing Assistance: Guidance on water sampling and analysis.
  • Technical Advice: Recommendations for mitigating lead exposure, such as flushing practices and fixture upgrades.
  • Education and Outreach: Materials to help schools communicate with parents and staff about lead safety

Water utilities are required to sample for lead at elementary schools and child care facilities built prior to January 1, 2014, over the course of five years (between January 2025 and December 2029). Samples must be taken from frequently used taps, such as drinking water fountains and kitchen faucets used for drinking or food preparation. We will work with the school to identify water sample locations and provide guidance on how to collect samples.

Once sampling is completed and results are available, PAWC will provide results to the facility and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. It is the facility’s responsibility for sharing results with staff and parents.

Frequently Asked Questions About Lead in Schools and Child Care Facilities

Lead can enter drinking water through corrosion of lead pipes, faucets, and plumbing materials. The risk increases when water sits in pipes for extended periods.

Pennsylvania American Water tests for lead in accordance with regulatory requirements. While water sample results indicate that lead is not an issue in the treated water leaving our facilities, lead levels might be detected at some properties due to corrosion of:

  • Lead service lines and connectors serving older homes and buildings. If your service line is made of lead1, we’ll replace it at no direct cost to the customer or property owner. Learn more at Pennsylvaniaamwater.com/leadfacts.
  • Lead solder in plumbing installed before state adoption of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lead ban in January 1986.
  • Some faucets manufactured prior to 2014. When replacing or installing plumbing fixtures, look for the “Lead Free”2 label.
  • Some drinking water fountains manufactured before 1988 may have lead-lined water tanks or plumbing components that are not certified “Lead Free.”2 For more information on drinking water fountains, visit EPA’s Module 4: Developing a Sampling Plan - Leaded Water Coolers Banned in 1988.

No. In fact, the greatest exposure to lead is from swallowing paint chips containing lead or breathing in lead paint dust. In addition to lead in drinking water, children can be exposed to lead from multiple sources, including:

  • Paint: Particularly in homes built before 1978, as lead-based paint was commonly used.
  • Dust and Soil: Lead-contaminated dust or soil from deteriorated paint can be inhaled or ingested.
  • Food and Air: Lead may also enter the body through certain foods, cookware or industrial processes.
  • Clothing and Shoes: Lead can be brought into the home from work sites or hobbies involving lead exposure. To reduce potential exposure, wash clothes after contact with lead, remove shoes before entering the home, and practice good hygiene.

Pennsylvania American Water tests for lead in accordance with regulatory requirements. Results of these tests are included in your annual Water Quality Report, which is available online. In addition, we take steps to reduce the potential of lead leaching from service lines and household plumbing into the water. We do this by managing the pH levels in the water leaving our treatment facilities and adding a corrosion inhibitor where needed.

EPA considers children an at-risk population for lead exposure. Schools and licensed childcare facilities have become a focal point due to the nature of these facilities (water use patterns, age of buildings, plumbing) and the significant amount of time children spend within these facilities. The goal of this monitoring program is to educate facilities on potential sources of lead and how to reduce them.

There is no safe blood lead level. Even low levels of exposure in children can cause serious health effects, such as:

  • Damage to the central and peripheral nervous systems.
  • Learning disabilities and developmental delays.
  • Hearing impairment and behavioral issues.

If you’re concerned about lead exposure, contact your healthcare provider to discuss blood testing for lead. A blood test is the only way to determine a child’s lead level. There are also steps you can take to help reduce your potential exposure to lead at home.

Yes. The U.S. EPA requires water utilities to offer to test for lead in schools and licensed childcare facilities within their service areas, effective November 2027. These new federal regulations require water systems to test 20% of elementary schools and 20% of licensed childcare facilities that were built before January 2014 within each service area per year over the course of five years. Utilities are not required to test for lead at secondary schools. Secondary schools are tested upon request. The PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) defines a secondary school as “a facility that contains students in grades no less than 9 and no greater than 12”.

The EPA has required testing at elementary schools and child care facilities while only requiring testing at secondary schools by request. Secondary schools are tested upon request.

Sampling is the only way to determine whether lead is present in a facility’s water. See the diagram below illustrating potential lead sources in school and child care facilities. The potential risk increases when water sits in pipes for extended periods.

illinois amwater potential sources of lead

Contact your school administrator to learn about previous or ongoing efforts to test for lead. Schools and child care facilities are encouraged to be transparent with testing results and any mitigation plans. If this information is not readily available, request that it be shared.

No. The water samples are analyzed at no direct charge to the facility. In addition, Pennsylvania American Water will replace any lead or qualifying galvanized water service lines at no direct cost to the customer.

Additional Resources