Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District officials issued a “no use” order for drinking water at both the elementary and high schools Friday morning, March 31. A low level of lead was discovered at one source in Boothbay Region High School and four low levels of lead were found at Boothbay Region Elementary School.

Director of Plant Operation and Maintenance Dave Benner received a complaint last week about the high school’s drinking water taste. The school sent 10 cold water samples from both schools to A & L Laboratories, Inc. in Auburn. School officials received the results March 30.

On Friday morning, school officials issued the “no use” order to staff and students.  According to a press release from AOS 98 Superintendent Eileen King, school officials have shut down all fountains and bubblers, bottled water will be used for all food preparation, and Poland Springs would be delivering water coolers Friday and Monday, for placement in strategic locations for water consumption by students, staff and visitors.

“I understand that such notices as these can cause alarm so I want to assure you that we are addressing the issue as quickly as possible,” wrote King. “Although the majority of water samples were acceptable, it is our intent that all water dispensed at school easily meets EPA’s recommended standards, as safety and health of our staff and students remain a top priority.”

School officials purchased 70 cases of bottled water and placed them in classrooms Friday morning. The bottled water will be available until Poland Springs delivers the coolers. School officials have forwarded the initial  tests to Maine Rural Water to develop a corrective plan for the schools’ contaminated water. School officials are also testing all cold water taps, including ones previously tested, in an effort to determine how widespread the contamination is.

School officials haven’t discovered the cause of lead contamination, but in a discussion with Maine Rural Water, the organization reported low levels of lead are quite often caused by fixtures, “as lead can enter drinking water when clean water interacts with plumbing and fixtures,” wrote King.

Benner will replace the five fixtures where water levels did not pass the test, and will retest those locations again, according to the press release. School officials are also discussing replacing other fixtures and water fountains.

The Board of Trustees will review the school officials’ plan at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 5 at BRHS.