February 15, 2023

Dear parents of Lyle School District:

As of 2021, a new Washington state law (RCW 28A.210.410 and 43.70.830) requires school drinking water is tested for lead in all K-12 public schools. Recently the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) sampled and tested the drinking water in Lyle School District.

What We’ve Learned

All testing was performed at the Lyle Campus, with Dallesport Elementary designating the lower level classrooms, hallway, and gym, and Lyle High School covering the remainder of the campus. On 12/17/2022, DOH staff sampled 10 fixtures at Dallesport Elementary School and 16 fixtures at Lyle High School. The number of fixtures represents every fixture that provides drinking water to students or is used to prepare food. The testing was done on a Saturday when no students were in the building. Results show 0 water samples at Dallesport Elementary School had lead levels above 5 parts per billion (ppb) and 2 water samples at Lyle High School had lead levels above 5 parts per billion (ppb). No fixtures at Lyle School District had lead results greater than 15 parts per billion (ppb), which requires immediate shut off of the fixture. Fixtures with 5 parts per billion (ppb) or less do not require any action and fixtures testing with greater than 5 parts per billion (ppb) require remediation.

Lead in School Drinking Water Report - Dallesport Elementary School

Lead in School Drinking Water Report - Lyle High School

What We’re Doing

Out of an abundance of caution, we are replacing all fixtures that had lead levels above 3 parts per billion (ppb). This is a total of 6 fixtures. The state has grant funds available, so we applied for, and received, a grant which will cover the cost of replacement fixtures. Replacement fixtures have been ordered.

Why Lead is a Concern

Children are exposed to lead from a variety of sources in their environments. Exposure sources include – dust from old, deteriorating lead paint, contaminated soil, take-home exposures from parents who work in certain industries, and many other sources. Each of these contribute to the amount of lead in the bodies of children.

It’s important to reduce exposure from every source as much as possible. Children six years old and younger are the most susceptible to the effects of lead. Their growing bodies absorb more lead than adults and their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the damaging effects of lead. Even at very low levels of exposure to lead, children may experience effects including – lower IQ levels, reduced attention span, hyperactivity, poor classroom performance, or other harmful physical and behavioral effects.

Where to Learn More

Water testing results are available at the district office and on our website lyleschools.org. For more information about water quality in our schools, please contact Marci Ramsay at 509-365-2191. If you are concerned that your child has been exposed to lead for any reason, ask your healthcare provider about having them screened for lead.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ann Varkados

Superintendent of Lyle School District