A new report released Thursday details the amount of lead found in drinking water at schools across New York state.
Get the Lead Out New York shows that “approximately nearly one out of every two schools” in New York had “drinking water samples contaminated with lead.”
“Out of all of these findings, one of the worst parts might be is that we just might be at the tip of the toxic iceberg when it comes to lead in drinking water in New York state,” said Kate Canada, of Environment America Research & Policy Center.
The report was compiled with data supplied to the New York State Department of Health by 4,514 schools and Boards of Cooperative Educational Services locations who self-reported from across the state from 2023-2026.
The data revealed 42% of New York schools reported at least one water outlet used for drinking or cooking exceeded lead levels of 5 parts per billion.
“There are thousands of outlets and drinking water sources that have not been tested,” said Canada. “Lead at any level is bad especially for children. It can lead to learning disabilities, hearing and speech problems, and IQ loss.”
From the water outlets that have been tested, Jefferson (84.6%), St. Lawrence (80.5%), Chautauqua (79.4%), Lewis (78.6%) and Tompkins (75%) counties had the highest percentages of at least one outlet testing above what’s considered safe.
Multiple events were held Thursday in Buffalo, Rochester and the state Capitol in Albany to get the word out about the report. It was released by the New York Public Interest Research Group and Environment America Research & Policy Center. They’re calling on the governor and state Legislature to act to improve protections.
“The existing program is not working like it should,” said Blair Horner, NYPIRG senior policy advisor. “We think a filtration system placed on all drinking water outlets at every school should be a key component of reform.”
Advocates and advisors said this report is troubling following New York becoming the first state in the nation to mandate periodic testing for lead in all public school districts back in 2016.
This past legislative session, there was a bill introduced that would require schools to do more lead testing and to install filtered water stations and faucets, but the measure wasn’t acted on.
In a statement to Spectrum News 1, a spokesperson for Gov. Kathy Hochul said in part:
“Under the leadership of Governor Hochul, New York has built a stronger system of accountability and prevention when it comes to the drinking water at our schools. Every child should be able to count on clean, safe drinking water and we will continue to take aggressive action to protect the health and safety of the students and faculty across the state.”
Spectrum News 1 also reached out to the New York State Education Department. We did not immediately hear back.
Alongside the report, an interactive web tool allows New Yorkers to see how many school drinking fountains tested positive for lead in their home counties.