North Georgia School Districts may test drinking water for lead

NORTHWEST, GA (WDEF) – As students begin to return to the classroom, several North Georgia school districts are deciding whether they will take part in the Clean Water for Georgia Kids program that will cover the cost of lead water testing. 

Dade county schools say they are interested and plan to learn more.

Whitfield County Schools is in the process of applying for testing.

Participating school districts will be invited to a training webinar to learn about testing, after which they will receive a test kit complete with sample bottles and a prepaid shipping label. 

“When lead goes into the body it doesn’t leave and in children in particular it gets absorbed very readily. It starts to affect the way brain cells communicate with each other. If the brain cells can’t communicate that’s when, in children, you will start to see speech delays, they can’t form the words because they can’t focus,” says Flor Mendoza, Environmental Health Lead Coordinator for the North Georgia Health District.

If the schools choose to participate, results will be returned to schools as soon as possible, along with specific recommendations on no-cost and low-cost solutions to improve water quality.