HOUSTON – Lead levels in water at 14 Houston-area elementary schools tested above acceptable federal limits for lead, KHOU 11 Investigates has learned.
The Houston Independent School District began testing the water at its schools weeks after KHOU 11 Investigates started looking into the district’s policy.
At Golfcrest Elementary, located in southeast Houston, one sample from inside the school’s science lab tested 80 times higher for lead than what the federal government deems acceptable. District officials say the lab is vacant and isn’t used by students.
Administrators say plumbing repairs are made to get lead out of the water any time a sample comes in over acceptable limits.
High levels of lead in children can lead to lower IQs and cause learning disabilities and hyperactivity, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The district has tested 173 schools, including all elementary schools, at a price tag of $400,000. The school board approved up to $2.9 million in additional funding Thursday night to test every middle school, high school and district-owned building.
