Frequently Asked Questions

In 2017 and 2018, when this issue first arose, we tested water in all schools and determined that, in most cases, the elevated levels of lead came from older fixtures, faucets, and drinking fountains. It was clear the primary problem was not the building pipes. In some cases, we found some areas inside walls near the outlets where pipes make turns with joints. We did find some soldering that contained lead in these locations.

The state and federal standards for lead in water are that it should not exceed 15 parts per billion (ppb). The District’s standard, however, is three times more strict than the state and federal standards, at 5 ppb.

In 82.8 percent of the first-round tests, water sources were found to be in compliance with the District standard and below 5 ppb. In 10.7% of tests, the outlets were shown to be above the District standard of 5 ppb but below the state and federal standard of 15 ppb. In 6.5% of the tests, the results were higher than the state and federal standard of 15 ppb.

Lead in the body can cause developmental delays, neurological problems, learning difficulties, irritability, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, and other issues.

Some fixtures were tested in late March and early April last spring. Most of the testing and retesting are being done now.

Each outlet that tested elevated was covered and taken out of service. Once it is fixed, retested, and shown to meet our standards, it is put back in service with a sticker posted nearby saying the water meets OUSD’s water quality standards and is suitable for consumption.

Every school has at least one FloWater or similar water dispenser, which has added filtering to ensure clean drinking water. Once installed in 2018, they quickly caused students to shift their water consumption habits. Students are encouraged to use the machines daily, and families are asked to send them to school with reusable water bottles.

Schools were informed early to mid-August, around the start of the school year, that testing had been done on their campuses and what the results of those tests were.

While our team was very aggressive in testing, the follow-up and communication could have been more robust and conscientious. We are putting systems in place to ensure that such a delay in communication does not happen again.

Our first step in addressing the issue is to assess the age and condition of the fixture (faucet or drinking fountain) or the angle stop (on/off valve) for a water source. In most cases, it is being replaced, and the outlet is being retested the water source will test with 5 ppb or less. The District will also install an inline water filter to reduce lead even further. If it tests with elevated levels again, then it remains out of service until a deeper assessment can be found and determine whether there is an issue that may exist in the pipes. All water sources will be retested again before being put back in service. When a faucet is placed back in service, the Meets OUSD Water Quality Standards Sticker will be placed on the tested source.

Your primary care physician can do a blood test for lead. Many clinics can do it, as well.

It is important to note the following: Throughout our testing and fixing water sources district-wide in 2017 and 2018, we worked closely with the Alameda County Healthy Homes Department and the Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. They told us that over the course of 20 years, they had encountered 6,000 cases of lead poisoning countywide, and not a single case could be traced to water. In Oakland, the cases most often result from lead-based paint and contaminated soil. For all faucets in your homes and elsewhere, it is recommended that you run the water for a few seconds to flush/clear out the fixtures to reduce the risk of contaminants including lead. For more information, please visit the California Department of Public Health’s website where there are excellent resources and information about sources of lead exposure and how to get tested.

In most cases, replacing a faucet or fountainhead fixed the problem back in 2017 and 2018. In some cases, it also took adding a filter. Long-term, this is indicative of the age of most of our school buildings, which were built before 1980, so we look forward to upgrading or replacing our older buildings, but that will take additional money from the state or federal government, or an additional bond measure in Oakland.  The state Proposition 2 has over $100M dedicated to addressing water issues across California schools.

The District is putting in place systems that ensure staff overseeing testing, reporting and remediation is held to very high standards and has tight timelines for communication and mitigation of any issues that arise.

The District continues to investigate who was responsible for this issue and will deal appropriately with the individual(s). Because it is a personnel matter, we cannot share any additional information.

The California legislature passed a law in 2017 requiring testing of between 1 and 5 fixtures at campuses built before 2010, to be completed prior to 2019. This law expired in 2020, and testing is not currently required by state law in K-12 schools. Testing for lead from between one and five drinking faucets at Early Childhood campuses is required in California, every five years, which is also a state law that OUSD has complied with, since enacted. OUSD complied with these state laws, and has continued to test for lead levels, as directed by local board policy.

California’s law only requires schools to shut down or repair water outlets where tests show lead levels over 15 parts per billion (ppb), which is the action level set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

In 2018, the Oakland Board of Education passed Board Policy 3511.3, which requires that all drinking water in Oakland schools test at or below 5 ppb. This is 3x lower than the state and federal standard of 15 ppb. The threshold was set significantly lower than the state and federal standards, which, alongside checks for all consumable water fixtures (as opposed to a sampling of one to five fixtures per campus), ensure earlier detection and corrective action. Because all fixtures on a campus are tested, elevated lead issues can be narrowed down to individual fixtures, helping to rule out issues with the underlying pipes. The local board policy was created to be intentionally more proactive and protective than state and federal guidelines mandate, in order to maintain a high level of safety for our staff and students.

1. Immediate Fixture Shutdown: Affected fixtures have been turned off and labeled to prevent usage until further notice.
2. Alternate Water Sources: Students and staff are directed to use the FloWater (Brita systems in some schools) as these have multiple levels of filtration and provide a very high-quality water source for students and staff. 
3. Remediation Plan: Our B&G team is working with Risk Management to remediate the affected fixtures. This includes:
   • Flushing water lines to clear any lead particles.
   • Replacing fixtures with new fixtures.
   • Installing filters where necessary to ensure water quality.
4. Retesting: Once remediation is complete, we will conduct follow-up testing to ensure that lead levels are less than 5 ppb before reopening any fixtures.
5. Communication: Moving forward will inform you of progress and share any updates as we complete the work over the next few weeks.
   • Risk Management will communicate with your school's staff and families via ParentSquare.

83% of the fixtures (faucets and drinking fountains) tested in 40 schools tested under District limits. In that testing, we identified 186 fixtures that showed elevated lead levels.

Overall, the test results fall into one of three categories: 

1. 83% (897 fixtures) 5 ppb or lower (under the District’s limit)
2. 10.7% (116 fixtures) tested above 5 ppb and below the state and federal limit of 15 ppb
3. 6.5% (70 fixtures) tested higher than the State and Federal limit of 15 ppb

All the fixtures that tested below the District’s limit are in service.

All testing results are located here.

You can call Alameda County Public Health's Family Health Line at (888) 604-INFO (4636) to get a blood lead level test for your child. You can also ask your child's doctor to order a venous blood draw, which is less likely to be contaminated with lead than a finger-prick test.

Of all the consumable water sources tested over the spring and summer, elevated lead levels above state levels were only found in 7% of samples, and above district levels at an additional 4% of samples. These samples were collected from 40 different school sites, many of which have buildings constructed before the 1986 Federal Safe Water Act, when lead was outlawed for use in pipes, faucets, and solder. The District is currently testing water in all schools with buildings constructed before 1986. In addition to the initial 40 that were tested and are now being retested, where elevated lead levels were found, 19 are currently undergoing testing. At the same time, water is being provided to staff and students via on-site Flowater machines that effectively remove lead from the water.

Schools with buildings constructed after 1986 will also be tested in the fall after the initial 59 campuses have completed testing, remediation where necessary, and retesting. Once fixtures are cleared, they will be reopened.

Chemistry sinks should not be used for consumption. The National Science Teacher Association highlights the rules of not eating and drinking in class, because of the kinds of materials and chemicals that are frequently in use during science lessons. OUSD Science safety information is also linked here. 

Using water for non-drinking purposes, like washing hands, etc. should be safe for you and your children, even if the water contains lead over EPA’s action level. Human skin does not absorb lead in water. This information applies to most situations and to a large majority of the population, but individual circumstances may vary. Some conditions, such as cases involving highly corrosive water, may require additional recommendations or more stringent actions. Your local water authority is always your first source for testing and identifying lead contamination in your tap water. Many public water authorities have websites that include data on drinking water quality, including results of lead testing. Links to such data can be found on the EPA Consumer Confidence Report website.

Actually, we had a Stanford PhD student conduct a study at 14 campuses and found that there is little exposure.  Largest exposure for lead in soil is from peeling paint around structures.  OUSD staff is Lead trained and larger projects would be conducted by a remediation company if it was determined that paint being removed was lead containing.  Both OUSD Environment, Food and Garden Team and OUSD Building & Grounds Department purchase certified organic soil from G&B, Bee Green, or Harvest Organics - these are the only soils that can be used. Soil donations are NOT allowed as that can not be tracked. Donated soil should be removed and replaced with soil provided by the District. For any gardening, everyone should wash their hands after working in a garden and all fruit and vegetables must be washed before consuming.