Jefferson County schools report highest rate of lead-test exceedances in New York
A research report found that 84.6% of Jefferson County schools had more than one water outlet test above the state lead standard, while state testing remains underway.
A report on lead in school drinking water found that 84.6% of Jefferson County schools had more than one outlet test above New York’s lead standard, the highest rate among counties listed in the report. The report covered testing conducted from 2023 through 2025 and was released by Environment America Research & Policy Center and the New York Public Interest Research Group.
The state Department of Health said 366 of the 597 schools tested as of Sept. 17 had reported at least one fixture above state standards. The report said the state lowered its action limit from 15 parts per billion to 5 parts per billion, and recommended requiring filtration systems on school drinking-water outlets. Jefferson-Lewis BOCES said outlets above the limit are taken out of service and may be repaired or replaced.
This story was written from a community submission and reviewed by a ClickNNY editor before publication.
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