Lead Testing in Schools and Child Care Programs Drinking Water Grant
Authorized and funded under the EPA’s Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, SC’s Lead Testing in Public Schools and Childcare Facilities Grant Program provides free water lead testing to schools and childcare facilities across the state. SCDES is utilizing EPA’s 3T’s guidance as a model to: (1) Train on the risks of lead in drinking water and the importance of testing for lead in drinking water; (2) Test using appropriate testing protocols and certified laboratory; and (3) Take Action by responding to results of testing conducted, addressing potential elevated lead levels where necessary, as well as developing key partnerships to support the program.
Participation in this program is voluntary and includes the prioritization of schools and facilities located in the state's opportunity zones, schools and facilities that serve younger children (Pre-K, K-5), as well as schools and facilities that reside in older buildings, thus more likely to contain lead plumbing.
Many schools and childcare facilities are served drinking water by public water systems required to be compliant with current drinking water regulations. While systems may be compliant, this grant allows SCDES to test water directly from a school/childcare center’s faucet. By participating, the facility obtains direct insight to the building’s plumbing, at no cost to the facility.
Should a result come back with a detection, SCDES has a response! While many remediation efforts consist of simple flushing, further efforts are sometimes necessary. For this, SCDES has both acquired additional funding from the EPA for remediation efforts, and partnered with another state organization, SERCAP, who acquired WIIN funding from EPA for the replacement of water filling stations to eligible facilities.
Getting Started
SCDES has partnered with Rogers & Callcott Environmental (Alliance TG) for sampling efforts. To get started, simply email WIINGrant@des.sc.gov and someone from the Grant team will contact you with further instructions.
Sample Results
The EPA has determined the program remediation level for lead in drinking water samples is 0.015 milligrams per liter (mg/L), or 15 parts per billion (ppb). When a lead sample is detected at or above this level, we encourage schools and facilities to take immediate steps to address the source of lead to protect children and staff. This may include flushing efforts, closing of water outlets, replacement water filling stations, etc.
As sample results become available, the WIIN Grant Sample Results page will be updated. To search for your facility, utilize the "Ctrl + F" feature within the Results page.