Analysis of Data Shows Widespread Lead Contamination in Water at Philadelphia Public Schools

PennEnvironment and PennPIRG analyzed publicly available data from the School District of Philadelphia to discover widespread lead contamination in the water supply. According to WHYY, the analysis “found nearly all schools tested had at least one outlet — like a water fountain or sink — that tested positive for lead.”

Over 60% of all water outlets in the 65 Philadelphia public schools tested positive for lead. However, many of the water fountains in the schools have been removed to prevent Covid-19 transmission, so it is unclear how many of these water outlets are actually available for student use.

300 Homes Near Grand Rapids Set to Receive Municipal Water Due to Contaminated Wells

Approximately 300 more homes will be connected to the municipal water supply in Plainfield Township, Michigan due to chemical contamination in wells caused by Wolverine Worldwide. The large shoe manufacturer dumped waste from its tannery improperly in the 1960s and 70s, leading to PFAS contamination in the well water supply.

MLive reports that Wolverine will pay the $14 million cost of connecting the 300 homes to city water, along with the $62 million it had already agreed to pay to connect a total of 1,000 homes to municipal water.

Panel Investigates Blue-Green Algae Contamination in West Palm Beach Water Supply

According to the Palm Beach Daily News, a panel of scientists and engineers will soon issue a final report “reviewing methods to detect and identify the presence of cylindrospermopsin and other cyanotoxins in West Palm Beach’s water supply and analyzing water treatment methods.” The report should provide a path forward for ensuring water testing will prevent blue-green algae contamination in the future. The water supply serves 120,000 residents of West Palm Beach, as well as residents in Palm Beach and South Palm Beach.

Boil Water Advisory Issued for Parts of Michigan, New York, & Iowa

A water main break in the Village of Onsted, Michigan has required turning off the water supply to the entire village to make repairs. Once the water supply is restored, the village will be under a boil water advisory for several days until the water can be tested for possible bacterial contamination.

The city of Pulaski in Oswego County, New York has been put under a boil water advisory due to a leaking valve. The leak caused the water system in the town to lose pressure. Once the leak is repaired, the boil water advisory will continue until testing determines the water supply is not contaminated.

A construction crew working on Interstate 80 in Iowa hit a water main, leading to the water supply being shut off for part of the town of Minden while the main is repaired. When the repair is completed, Minden will be on a boil water advisory while the water is tested for possible contamination.