The purpose of the 3Ts guidance is to help schools minimize students’  and staffs’ exposure to lead in drinking water. An Estimated 43 Percent of School Districts Reported Testing for Lead in Drinking Water and About a Third of These Districts Reported Finding Elevated Levels of Lead

Lead in School Drinking Water Survey Results at a Glance
An estimated 43 percent of school districts tested for lead in  school drinking water, but 41 percent did not, and 16 percent did  not know. Of those that tested, an estimated 37 percent of school districts  found elevated  lead levels—levels of lead above the district’s  threshold for taking remedial action—in school drinking water. An estimated 35 million students were  enrolled in districts that tested as compared with 12 million students in  districts that did not test. 5.) All School Districts with Elevated Lead in Drinking Water Reported Taking Action, Such as Replacing Water Fountains or Flushing Pipes

In our survey, every school district that reported finding lead in school  drinking water above their selected action level reported taking steps to  reduce or eliminate the lead. Several States Require School Districts to Test for Lead in Drinking Water and Additional States Provide Funding and Technical Assistance

		At Least Eight States Require School Districts to Test for Lead as of 2017, According to EPA

EPA regional officials provided examples of eight states that have  requirements for schools to test for lead in drinking water as of  September 2017: California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey,  New York, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Additional States Provided Funding and Technical Assistance to Support School District Efforts to Test for and Remediate Lead

Apart from the states with requirements to test for lead in school drinking  water discussed in this report, at least 13 additional states had also  provided funding or in-kind support to school districts to assist with  voluntary lead testing and remediation, according to EPA regional offices. EPA Provides Several Resources on Lead, but EPA and Education Should Provide More Information to Support States and School Districts and Improve Collaboration

		EPA Provides Guidance, Training, and Technical Assistance on Lead Testing and Remediation, but States and School Districts Need Updated Guidance

EPA provides several voluntary resources, such as guidance, training,  and technical assistance, to states and school districts regarding testing  for and remediation of lead in school drinking water, but some school  districts we surveyed and officials we interviewed said more information  would be helpful. However, based on our survey we found school district familiarity with the  3Ts guidance varied by geographic area (see fig. 8). For example, officials from the Massachusetts Department of  Environmental Protection told us that they would like additional guidance  on evaluating remedial actions to address elevated lead in the fixtures or  the plumbing system. Education and EPA do not regularly collaborate to support state and  school districts’ efforts related to lead in school drinking water, according  to EPA and Education officials. This effort could include further dissemination of EPA  guidance related to lead testing and remediation in schools or sending  letters to states to encourage testing in all school districts that have  not yet done so. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

In this report, we examined three objectives: (1) the extent to which  school districts are testing for, finding, and remediating lead in school  drinking water; (2) the extent to which states require or support testing for  and remediating lead in school drinking water by school districts; and (3)  the extent to which federal agencies are supporting state and school  district efforts to test for and remediate lead. To address these objectives,  we conducted a web-based survey of school districts, interviews with  selected state and school district officials, a review of applicable  requirements in selected states, a review of relevant federal laws and  regulations, and interviews with federal agency officials and  representatives of stakeholder organizations. The resulting sample frame included 16,452 school districts and we  selected a stratified random sample of 549 school districts. GAO-17-424.
Why GAO Did This Study

No federal law requires testing of drinking water for lead in schools that receive water from public water systems, although these systems are regulated by the EPA. Lead can leach into water from plumbing materials inside a school. The discovery of toxic levels of lead in water in Flint, Michigan, in 2015 has renewed awareness about the danger lead exposure poses to public health, especially for children.
GAO was asked to review school practices for lead testing and remediation. This report examines the extent to which (1) school districts are testing for, finding, and remediating lead in drinking water; (2) states are supporting these efforts; and (3) federal agencies are supporting state and school district efforts. GAO administered a web-based survey to a stratified, random sample of 549 school districts, the results of which are generalizable to all school districts. GAO visited or interviewed officials with 17 school districts with experience in lead testing, spread among 5 states, selected for geographic variation. GAO also interviewed federal and state officials and reviewed relevant laws and documents.

What GAO Found

An estimated 43 percent of school districts, serving 35 million students, tested for lead in school drinking water in 2016 or 2017, according to GAO's nationwide survey of school districts. An estimated 41 percent of school districts, serving 12 million students, had not tested for lead. GAO's survey showed that, among school districts that did test, an estimated 37 percent found elevated lead (lead at levels above their selected threshold for taking remedial action.) (See figure.) All school districts that found elevated lead in drinking water reported taking steps to reduce or eliminate exposure to lead, including replacing water fountains, installing filters or new fixtures, or providing bottled water.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), at least 8 states have requirements that schools test for lead in drinking water as of 2017, and at least 13 additional states supported school districts' voluntary efforts with funding or in-kind support for testing and remediation. In addition, the five states GAO visited provided examples of technical assistance to support testing in schools.
EPA provides guidance and other resources to states and school districts regarding testing and remediating lead in drinking water, and the Department of Education (Education) provides some of this information on its websites. School district officials that used EPA's written guidance said they generally found it helpful. Although EPA guidance emphasizes the importance of addressing elevated lead levels, GAO found that some aspects of the guidance, such as the threshold for taking remedial action, were potentially misleading and unclear, which can put school districts at risk of making uninformed decisions. In addition, many school districts reported a lack of familiarity with EPA's guidance, and their familiarity varied by region of the country. Education and EPA do not regularly collaborate to support state and school district efforts on lead in drinking water, despite agreeing to do so in a 2005 memorandum of understanding. Such collaboration could encourage testing and ensure that more school districts will have the necessary information to limit student and staff exposure to lead.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is making seven recommendations, including that EPA update its guidance on how schools should determine lead levels requiring action and for EPA and Education to collaborate to further disseminate guidance and encourage testing for lead. EPA and Education agreed with the recommendations.