Test Results for Lead in Drinking Water

To protect Illinois children from possible exposure to lead in drinking water, Section 35.5 of Public Act 99-0922 requires any Illinois school building to be tested for lead contamination in water if both of the following criteria are met:

  • The building or any portion thereof was constructed prior to Jan. 1, 2000.
  • The building is occupied by more than 10 children or students, pre-kindergarten through grade 5, under the control of (a) a school district or (b) a public, private, charter or nonpublic day or residential educational institution.

These requirements took effect on Jan. 17, 2017.

Public Notification Requirements

The Act requires parents and guardians of students to be notified of lead results greater than or equal to five parts per billion (ppb).

If any of the samples taken at the school are at or below 5 ppb, notification may be made by posting the results on the school's website.

In August 2017, water testing was conducted at the three District 401 schools to which the above-mentioned Act applies.

The results for all tested schools were 5 ppb or less. These results are discussed below in greater detail.

Summary of D401 Drinking Water Test Results

As required by law, District 401 implemented a program of water testing at the following schools:

Water sampling was conducted on Aug. 26, 2017, by Mr. Daniel Petras and Ms. Kathryn Hermann of Aires Consulting. Mr. Geoffrey J. Bacci designed the study and developed the reports provided to the District. (PDF copies of each report are available at the links below.)

Testing covered the following required areas:

  • Drinking fountains and drinking sources in buildings for grade 5 and under
  • Classroom sinks in grades below 1 (kindergarten and pre-kindergarten)

Sample results at all schools were 5 ppb or less.

Because the sample results at all schools were 5 ppb or less, the posting of these results on the District 401 website satisfies the Act’s notification requirements.

Aires Consulting Reports on D401 Drinking Water

Downloadable copies of Aires Consulting's official reports on District 401 drinking water are available at the following links: 

Links to these reports are also located on the left side of this page.

For Additional Information

To learn more about the dangers of lead in drinking water and steps that can be taken to reduce those dangers, visit Basic Information About Lead in Drinking Water, which is available on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website.