Flint-level lead hits NY school

Roosevelt I. water taint

Some lead levels surpassing those found in Flint, Mich., were discovered in nondrinking water samples at a Roosevelt Island school last month, according to Department of Education data.

Eight taps were yanked from PS/IS 217 after registering lead levels that automatically triggered remediation.

Environmental Protection Agency protocol dictates that water with lead concentrations above 15 parts per billion must be addressed by city officials.

According to the DOE, eight out of 100 water samples collected at the school last month contained lead levels above the acceptable threshold.

A DOE spokeswoman stressed that the water samples with elevated lead levels were not drawn from drinking fountains or taps used for cooking.

Lead levels at the school’s drinking fountains were deemed safe.

In a letter to parents, Deputy Chancellor Elizabeth Rose said the faucets would be removed from service until the water was deemed completely safe.

“The custodial staff will continue to flush the PS/IS 217 Manhattan water systems on Monday morning before school starts, in order to eliminate water that has been stagnant in pipes over the weekend and to ensure safe drinking water is available for students and staff,” she wrote in a Jan. 25 letter.

DOE officials said that there have been no reports of sickness at the school and that there has never been a recorded case of lead poisoning at a city campus.

“Parents can rest assured that water in New York City is of the highest quality in the world and we have stringent protocols and robust procedures in place to ensure that water in school buildings is safe,” said DOE spokeswoman Toya Holness. “This is standard protocol, and there is no reason for alarm. We are continuing to provide students and staff with safe drinking water.”

Lead concentrations on the eight faucets ranged from 16.5 ppb in the locker room to 3,430 ppb in one weight-room tap, according to a DOE report.

The vast majority of Flint homes impacted by last year’s water crisis had levels of roughly 27 ppb.

But officials dismissed even a mild comparison to that city’s crisis, noting that Flint’s water pollution was due to systemic breakdowns in treatment.