Some OUSD schools continue to face high amounts of lead in water, testing shows

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- As students and parents attended orientation at Hillcrest Elementary in Oakland earlier in the week, there was a warning from the school that seven water fixtures tested above the legal limit for lead.

"I think there is progress being made. This was an issue last year. They replaced some of the pipes last year and I thought this issue was resolved. I guess it didn't fix the whole thing," says parent Daniel Clendenning.

RELATED: Unsafe lead levels found in drinking water at multiple Oakland public schools

Clendenning says he isn't overly concerned. He points to the water filtration system set up on campus. But a recent round of testing shows that some Oakland Unified School District schools continue to face problems with lead.

"Our system that we have in place now is much better than it was in 2017 when we first dealt with this," says John Sasaki, Communications Director for OUSD.

Changes to state law in 2017 prompted lead testing. In the eight years since, OUSD has been testing water fountains and faucets.

The EPA standard is that when lead exceeds 15 parts per billion, it requires public notification and treatment. OUSD's benchmark is stricter at 5 parts per billion. According to OUSD, in a first round of testing last spring, 83% of water sources were below 5 parts per billion. But 6.5% were higher than the state and federal standard of 15 ppb. Some Oakland schools, like Castlemont High School, tested at 50 parts per billion.

RELATED: EBMUD helps Oakland schools test for possible lead contamination in water

"Most patients have no symptoms, and that's the concern," said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of medicine and infectious disease specialist at UCSF.

Doctor Chin-Hong says lead exposure is particularly dangerous for children. It can cause learning disabilities and delay development. But he adds, water isn't the main issue.

"Lead in the water is probably about 1/5 of the exposure of lead that kids could potentially have. Paint chips is probably much more of a risk factor. All of these are reversible," says Dr. Chin-Hong.

In a statement to ABC7 News, Oakland Education Association President Kampala Taiz-Rancifer, writes, "There are real health risks associated with lead in our schools. It is unacceptable that our school communities continue to be affected by the district's inability to solve this problem."

RELATED: Cost to fix Oakland schools' lead problem could be as much as $53 million

She says in 2020, it was OEA that took the initiative to close down McClymonds High School due to lead in the water.

"We funded the assessment for lead and provided the district with a report before they would even address the issue," says Taiz-Rancifer.

Sasaki says OUSD conducted another round of testing this summer, checking 2,500 water outlets. Fixes are being made as more results come in. He says the issue at Hillcrest had to do with the filtration system.

"All of our other hydration stations or water dispensers across the district have filters in them. Those didn't, it turned out. So, we are fixing those right now. Adding filters to those systems," says Sasaki.

Sasaki anticipates the fixes to Hillcrest can be completed by next month.