There’s lead in the water in Billings schools, but it’s within federal guidelines, new tests show
A new round of lead testing at Billings Public Schools shows that water is still within federal standards at each school.
The results were released about a month after a statewide report examined water lead levels in Montana schools.
Most schools in Billings have at least some lead in their water.
In tests conducted in April and May, some lead was measured in water at 25 schools.
Lead levels are known to fluctuate in water measurements.
Testing showed a lead level of 5 and 6 ppb.
The school district replaced four water fixtures with high lead content and installed a filter.
In testing conducted by Billings, 1 ppb was the minimum level a measurement could record while detecting lead.
The Environment Montana report included results for Billings schools’ water testing in 2016; Newman Elementary had the highest lead concentrations in those tests, at 11 ppb.
Other elementary schools with relatively high levels also saw decreases.