SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Districtwide Water Sampling - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

Districtwide Water Sampling

Board of Education April 25, 2017

Water Sampling Overview

 The lead sampling effort is a partnership between San Diego Unified

and City of San Diego, made possible by California permit action.

 District staff submitted the request to the city for district-wide water

sampling in February 2017.

 The City of San Diego has been a great partner and quickly agreed to an

expedited sampling plan that began on April 4.



District schools and schools operating on district property will be sampled.

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Water Sampling Overview

 City staff are working their way from

the southeast corner of the district where some of the oldest facilities are located, moving north and west.

 Five campuses are sampled daily on

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Sampling must be done early in the morning prior to daily flush and first use.

 Sampling will be complete by mid-June.

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Water Flushing Protocol

 To minimize risk of exposure to contaminants that might be in the water,

the district Operations Division has implemented a districtwide water flushing protocol.

 Each morning, all water outlets used for human consumption are to be

flushed by school staff for one minute prior to first use.

 On the morning of sampling, outlets scheduled for lead sampling will

not be flushed until after sampling is complete. Those outlets will be secured the night before by school staff.

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Where else?

 San Diego Unified submitted its

formal request for sampling to the City on February 14.

 Two days later, the San Diego

Union-Tribune called for all local districts to request lead sampling by their water providers.

 San Diego Unified will offer support

and assistance to charter schools in the district and other districts.

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Water Sampling Progress

 Information as of April 21, 2017  Lead action level is 15 parts per billion, set by the State Water

Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water

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# of Sam pling Plans Subm itted to City # of Schools Sam pled # of Schools W ith Results Below Action Level # of Schools W ith Results Above Action Level

109 72 29 2

Emerson-Bandini Elementary / San Diego Cooperative Charter 2

 Water quality issue at the Emerson campus of San Diego Cooperative 2

was reported to district staff on January 26.

 District staff quickly secured the water at the Emerson campus and

began providing bottled water to the campus.

 Emerson campus was sampled by city for volatile organic compounds in

Late February. Lead sampling took place in early March.

 Physical Plant Operation staff identified the sources of the contaminants

and implemented plumbing fixes. Re-testing by the city has confirmed that remediation was successful for both contaminants.

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Health Resources For Families

 Parents in this district have various degrees of access to health

resources.



Not all parents will have access to a doctor to discuss their child’s situation, nor will they be able to get a blood tests for lead levels.

 District will take steps to ensure equitable access to health resources.

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Health Resources For Families

 Steps the district will take:

• Coordinate with local community clinics and health agencies to host

culturally sensitive and multi-language educational events.

• District staff will assist families so they can access health services

 Medi-Cal application assistance.  Referrals to specific clinics that do blood testing for lead.  Case management assistance for parents at select school sites and Wellness Centers.

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Additional Resources for Parents

 Communications Office has created a Water Sampling webpage:

www.sandiegounified.org/watersampling

 Webpage has background information on water sampling effort and

daily flushing program.

 Webpage has links to resources for parents: District Water Sampling

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Division of Drinking FAQ, and San Diego County Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Page.

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Transparency

 District is coordinating with each principal to keep parents updated

about water sampling progress and results.

 District is providing communications support to schools (e.g., template

letters, SchoolMessenger assistance).

 Website is frequently updated and new results are posted quickly.  District is providing regular updates to elected officials and local media.

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Transparency

 District leaders and

staff providing an update to a delegation of elected

• fficials and city

representatives.

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Transparency

 Screenshot of district’s

Water Sampling Results webpage.

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Next Steps

 Sampling will continue through mid-June.  District is prepared to rapidly respond to any sampling results that

indicate lead levels above the state’s action level.

• District will quickly secure contaminated sinks, faucets and fixtures.
• District will provide bottled water.
• District will communicate results with parents.
• District will investigate the source(s) of contamination and make the required fixes.
• City will re-sample to ensure the remedies have worked.

 Estimated Costs: Hard to predict, but Emerson campus can serve as an

example.

• Cost for bottled water support and lead remediation is about $12,000.

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Questions?

 Drew Rowlands, Chief Operations Officer  Dr. Howard Taras, District Physician  Andrew Sharp, Chief Information Officer  Samer Naji, Facilities Communications Liaison

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