NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Several Middle Tennessee schools have reported “elevated” levels of lead in the water, according to a report from the Tennessee Health Department.
The report, issued this month, says 53 school districts across Tennessee reported at least one elevated result; 44 counties across the state had at least one school with an elevated result; and a total of 794 drinking fixtures were reported to have elevated lead levels.
In Middle Tennessee, Williamson County saw the highest number of schools reporting elevated results with 12, followed by Cheatham County with 10. In Cheatham County, the results showed 29 drinking sources had the elevated lead levels, while another 21 non-drinking sources reported the elevated levels.
Nineteen Middle Tennessee counties had at least one school that reported elevated lead levels.
According to a state law passed in 2018, schools are required to test drinking water sources in schools built before Jan. 1, 1998. If the results show elevated levels—more than 15 parts per billion (ppb)—the districts must take corrective action and keep testing until levels decrease.
If a drinking fixture is found to contain at least 20 ppb or more, the drinking source must be removed, and several state agencies, including the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the Tennessee Department of Health and the Tennessee Department of Education, as well as local officials, must be notified within 24 hours. Parents and guardians of children at that school must also be notified within five business days of the rest result, and retesting must take place within 90 days of any corrective action.
Other Middle Tennessee counties reporting elevated lead levels are:
- Putnam – 6
- Warren – 5
- Cumberland – 4
- Dekalb – 3
- Lawrence – 3
- Houston – 2
- Montgomery – 2
- Coffee – 1
- Davidson – 1
- Fentress – 1
- Lewis – 1
- Macon – 1
- Maury – 1
- Perry – 1
- Robertson – 1
- Trousdale – 1
- Wayne – 1
