Hillsborough County 6th grader starts bottled water drive
"The water came from different people and like, companies, " Anthony said.
He’s collecting water to distribute to schools across Hillsborough County after the county started testing for lead in the water.
They have to test 1,800 faucets, fountains and fixtures, twice a day.
"We are still doing samples at schools.
We expect to be done with those by mid-September and then we will be doing all the rest of the schools and we expect all of it to be done by November," said Tanya Arja, with the school district.
Anthony is delivering water out of an abundance of caution.
His grandmother said the idea started on day one.
"The first of school when the students came with no bottled water and he asked the kids, ‘do you have any water’ and they said, ‘no.’
District officials have gotten a handful of positive results from their tests, but say none at harmful levels and none at actual drinking faucets.
They recommend that a fixture over 20 parts per billion, that they would be taken out of service.
Detroit Students Face Heat Wave, Elevated Metals In Drinking Water
In the city of Detroit, public school students are facing a heat wave, and they are finding the water fountains near their classrooms are not working.
QUINN KLINEFELTER, BYLINE: At the Detroit School of Arts, student Dayana Williams is ready to start classwork.
She’s brought her notebook, her backpack, and she’s made a special point to bring her own bottled water.
There’s a new water cooler with bottled water down the hallway, but Williams says, after hearing reports that lead and copper was found in school bathrooms and water fountains, she’s taking no chances.
So I’m just going to have to deal with it.
KLINEFELTER: Officials say students can wash their hands with water the in school buildings, just not drink it.
Detroit Public Schools superintendent Nikolai Vitti says higher-than-normal amounts of lead and copper were found in the water at 34 of 50 of its schools, so Vitti ordered all the school buildings tested – more than a hundred of them – then turned off the drinking water while engineers try to figure out if the contamination is coming from old pipes or rusty faucets.
NIKOLAI VITTI: The solution is not a whack-a-mole effect of, well, let’s take out that water fountain or that sink.
KLINEFELTER: Detroiter Patricia Taylor says she has eight grandchildren in the public school system, and she says she’s been supplying them all with bottled water for years because she just doesn’t trust the pipes in aging Detroit school buildings.
For NPR News, I’m Quinn Klinefelter in Detroit.
Water coolers replace school drinking fountains in Detroit
DETROIT (AP) — Thousands of Detroit public schools students were told Tuesday to drink from district-supplied water coolers or bottled water on the first day of classes, after the drinking fountains were shut off because of contaminants in some water fixtures.
Test results are pending for other schools.
The discovery of contaminated water in Detroit’s schools follows a lead-tainted water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
READ MORE: Under Armour is outfitting thousands of Baltimore student athletes Some children in the city were subsequently found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood, which can lead to developmental delays and other health problems.
Eager to not undergo the same health and financial fallout as Flint, officials decided no students at Detroit’s 106 public schools should be subjected to drinking mains water until a solution can be found and the water declared safe.
But as parent Quala (KWAY’-luh) Bennett dropped two children off at Gardner Elementary Tuesday, she wondered why the district only recently began testing its water.
I don’t understand why now they’re checking the school system,” Bennett said.
And those issues should have been corrected by today.” Walton also said she reminds her grandson not to drink the water.
Ken Coleman, a spokesman for the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said the union would deliver bottled water and hand sanitizers to Noble Elementary-Middle School on Detroit’s west side Tuesday afternoon, and that more would be distributed to other schools later.
The American Federation of Teachers is providing the water and hand sanitizers.
Residents are exposed to lead. They should get free bottled water, group tells judge.
The water group suing Newark over elevated levels of lead in its tap water wants city officials to provide bottled water for its most vulnerable residents.
She worried the city’s fixes would take too long; residents need immediate access to safe drinking water while the federal lawsuit winds its way through court, Imperiale said.
Newark has reported elevated levels of lead in its tap water for the last 18 months, according to state data.
In Newark, one July sample recorded lead levels at 250 parts per billion — more than 16 times the federal action level, data show.
Officials blame the city’s old lead service lines — that connect publicly-owned water mains to each property — for the problems.
"We sell water from our system to other municipalities, including Pequannock Township, Bloomfield, Nutley, Belleville, Elizabeth, and Wayne.
The city does not own Newark’s lead service lines, which means property owners are responsible for any replacements costs.
"The city has an obligation to be treating the water properly such that it’s not corrosive," Imperiale said.
The NRDC motion asks the city to: Respond to all residents requesting tap water testing in an expedited manner and provide results within a week.
Open drinking water resource centers where residents can request water testing or pick up filters or bottled water.
Water coolers replace school drinking fountains in Detroit
DETROIT (AP) — T Thousands of Detroit public schools students were told Tuesday to drink from district-supplied water coolers or bottled water on the first day of classes, after the drinking fountains were shut off because of contaminants in some water fixtures.
The discovery of contaminated water in Detroit’s schools follows a lead-tainted water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
Some children in the city were subsequently found to have elevated levels of lead in their blood, which can lead to developmental delays and other health problems.
"We’re still providing water that we believe is safer, and, ultimately, we actually believe students will drink more water than they did previously," Vitti said Tuesday at Gardner Elementary on Detroit’s west side.
But as parent Quala (KWAY’-luh) Bennett dropped two children off at Gardner Elementary Tuesday, she wondered why the district only recently began testing its water.
I don’t understand why now they’re checking the school system," Bennett said.
"They should have done that once the whole Flint thing happened."
Detroit Schools should not have waited until the start of the school year to alert parents about the water issues, said Rhonda Walton, whose grandson is a kindergartner at Gardner.
And those issues should have been corrected by today."
The American Federation of Teachers is providing the water and hand sanitizers.
South County businesses reeling from boil water notice
An advisory to boil water was still in effect Tuesday for a large portion of South County after traces of E. coli were found in the water last week.
The salad bar was closed and cases of water were selling quickly.
“What we’ve lost in seafood sales, prepared food sales, and green sales, we’ve picked up by selling over 35 palettes of water the first day through Saturday,” Belmont Market General Manager Brian McConnell said.
Signs remind customers food is prepared using bottled water.
“We have bottled water enough for kids and staff and kids will also use bottled water to wash their hands and get drinks throughout the day,” Lynn Dougherty, the principal of Wakefield Elementary, said.
Workers with Suez were collecting samples Tuesday and looking for the source of the contamination.
The company expects the boil water advisory to continue for several more days.
“We’re anticipating that this will last through the end of the week and most likely into the weekend,” Deborah Rizzi, Suez spokeswoman, said.
“We’re working as quickly as we can.
“We need the water,” she said.
Free bottled water offered to those under Jackson, MO boil order
According to the City of Jackson, the Jackson Fire and Rescue teamed up with the SEMO Food Bank to offer the free water.
While supplies last, one case of bottled water per household is available for pickup at Fire Station #1, located at 525 S. Hope Street.
The city asks that you bring a photo ID or utility bill to show your proof of address at the time of pickup.
They currently have 144 cases, with 24 bottles in each case, to give away on a first-come, first-serve basis and only those customers located in the boil water order area are eligible to receive a free case.
According to the Water Distribution District, the water can’t be tested until Sept. 4 and the boil water order is in effect until Wednesday, Sept. 5.
The City of Jackson issued a mandatory boil water order for the east side of Jackson, effective immediately, and continuing for at least the next 48 hours.
According to the City, at least two water main breaks were reported on Monday morning.
While city crews are excavating, removing, inspecting and replacing the water mains, the resulting loss of water pressure required a mandatory order.
The boil water order started immediately and expires at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 5, unless otherwise notified.
Schools under boil water advisory start year with adjustments
It was not a traditional morning for parents and students getting ready for their first day in south county where many areas are still under a boil water advisory.
A Wakefield Elementary today they prepared for the students first day back, with some adjustments.
Danielle Lorie, a mother, says she was prepared and informed ahead of her 9-year old’s first day of third grade.
"Mrs. Stringfellow let us know over the weekend what the bottled water situation would be here,” said Lorie.
"We have bottled water enough for kids and staff and kids will also use bottled water to wash their hands and get drinks throughout the day," said Lynn Dougherty, Principal of Wakefield Elementary.
It’s not everyday you see water jugs and pumps in place of faucets at schools.
Last Friday NBC10 told you that traces of E. coli bacteria were found in the water supply of five public water systems in South county impacting about 38,000 residents.
The source of the bacteria is still a mystery and parents and residents are making due but would like some answers.
"It’s a little nerve wrecking, we definitely want to find out where it’s coming from, answers would be good but like I said you have to just make the best of the situation," said mother Jess Ainsworth.
RIDOH say testing likely won’t begin until Wednesday the earliest and the water must be clear from all E E. coli for three full days before the ban is lifted.
Bottled water among school supplies for Detroit, Flint kids
Both school districts, Detroit Public Schools Community District and Flint Community Schools, have turned off drinking water inside school buildings in response to water-quality concerns.
In Flint, where drinking taps were turned off in October 2015, water again is being provided this school year through January as water testing continues.
Parents who are concerned about the ability of both districts to provide drinking water — for 50,000 students in 106 Detroit schools and for 4,500 students in 13 Flint schools — say they are not taking chances this week as temperatures hover near 90 on the first day of school.
Detroit parent Bianca Nealy said bottled water will be going Tuesday with her two children who attend Pasteur Elementary School.
I don’t want no children drinking the water.
The reports provide locations of tests inside the school, the result for lead and copper, and recommendations that include removing fixtures, flushing lines and implementing plans under state water rules.
In July, the DEQ reported that 99 percent of filtered water samples taken at Flint Community Schools met the 5 ppb bottled water standard, and 100 percent of the samples were below the 15 ppb federal Lead and Copper Rule requirement.
"As high levels of lead were found in DPSCD schools, one thing we know there is no safe lead level for children," she said.
In Detroit, Renaissance High School teacher Kerry Williams said the students are worried about the water.
"To say don’t drink the water.
Detroit schools to use bottled water after high levels were found
When students head back to class they will find drinking fountains dry to begin the year.
Pupils and staff will be given bottled water after elevated levels of lead and copper were found.
The district has shut off all drinking water, after the troubling results were found at 16 schools.
And the district is still waiting to get tests back from the other buildings before formulating a plan to fix the issue.
Officials are not taking any chances because the metals can pose serious health risks.
Dr. Kanta Bhambhani, runs the lead clinic at Detroit Children’s Hospital of Michigan, and says the only way to be certain is getting a blood test if your child has been exposed.
"As time has gone by, scientific studies have shown that even low levels of lead can be harmful to the growing brain.
"The exposure is cumulative.
Even small amounts of lead stay in the body.
The body gets rid of lead very slowly."