The state of Montana is trying to determine if there is lead in drinking water at public schools, but many of Jefferson County’s eight schools failed to comply with a new state rule requiring that initial tests for the toxic metal be completed by the end of last year, and only one school’s test results have been publicly posted nearly three months after the testing deadline passed.
Of the eight public schools in the county—Montana City School, Clancy School, Boulder Elementary School, Jefferson High School, Basin School, Whitehall Elementary and High schools, and Cardwell School—only the lead test results from Cardwell School are publicly available on the Montana Department of Environmental Quality’s website. The Whitehall School District has submitted its test results to the state agency, according to Superintendent Hannah Nieskens, but the results have yet to appear online. The Monitor contacted the DEQ to understand when the results might be posted, but the agency hadn’t replied by press time on Tuesday.
A Department of Public Health and Human Services rule created in 2020 requires schools to test the lead content in water from every fixture in their facilities that dispenses water for drinking or food preparation. Under the rule, schools must test every three years, and the department set an initial testing deadline of Dec. 31, 2021, to start the cycle.
