Anne Arundel school officials put bottled water in 3 well-water schools.
Anne Arundel County school officials will pay for bottled water at three public schools after efforts to flush iron and mineral buildup from the water supply did not work.
About a month ago, parents began organizing the community to demand school officials make the water clear at Bodkin Elementary School, Chesapeake Bay Middle School and Chesapeake High School in Pasadena.
School officials reported improvements in a March 24 letter to parents.
School staff are figuring out long-term solutions such as replacing pipes or using additives to treat the water and pipes.
Bodkin Elementary, Chesapeake Bay Middle, and Chesapeake High are three of 20 county school buildings on well water.
Water test results from November to February in the three schools show iron levels as high as 3.32 milligram per liter, the results from a test conducted on Dec. 5 at Chesapeake Bay Middle, state data shows.
In March, the iron levels were above the EPA suggested level at Chesapeake Bay Middle School in six of the 12 tested days.
At Chesapeake High and Bodkin Elementary, only one of the 12 tested days showed levels higher than the EPA standard.
Parents who have insisted on bottled water for the three schools welcomed Arlotto’s letter.