FLINT, MI — State officials say the third round of water sampling at Flint schools has been completed.
However, the DEQ said in a March 22 release that 96 percent of water samples collected from Flint Community Schools that have been analyzed are within the federal lead action level of 15 ppb.
When the results are analyzed, the DEQ has said it will consider those and other water testing results before making recommendations for the state’s role in Flint water going forward, including state-funded bottled water.
Testing began in Flint Community Schools in January.
The second round of school testing showed a marked increase in lead hot spots.
Samples that are collected before lines are flushed tend to have higher lead levels because of the time water is in contact with pipes.
Even with the increase in samples with elevated lead, the February tests would meet federal guidelines for lead if treated the same as the samples collected by a municipal water system.
Rick Snyder recognized a health emergency in the city because of water contamination.
State officials had not tested school water since 2016, when they re-started that effort in January.
Mayor Karen Weaver has said state-funded bottled water should continue to be supplied until all lead and galvanized service lines in the city have been replaced.