Goodsprings Elementary kids, some adults tested for lead exposure

Lead exposure testing was conducted on students at Goodsprings Elementary School as well as some adults after an investigation in water quality across Nevada by the Reno Gazette-Journal and the USA TODAY NETWORK.

The blood tests were spearheaded by the Southern Nevada Health District in response to elevated lead levels found in water from a drinking fountain at the nearby community center. In addition to seven students, four adults also were tested on Wednesday, said health district spokeswoman Stephanie Bethel.

County health officials encouraged citizens of Goodsprings, a small town located about 38 miles south of Las Vegas, to take part in the tests.

23 public water systems in NV non-compliant, including 3 for lead

“After being informed by the Clark County School District that routine water testing indicated an exceedance of lead in the water system that serves both the Goodsprings Elementary School and Goodsprings Community Center, the Southern Nevada Health District is recommending voluntary blood level lead testing for anyone who may have consumed water at these locations since August 24, 2015,” Bethel said.

An official with the Clark County School District stressed that the water in the school itself did not exceed lead action levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Instead, it was drinking water from the nearby community center, which is county property but is also used by the school per an agreement with Clark County.

The drinking fountain remains turned off, said Lori Headrick, director of environmental health and safety for the Clark County School District.

“The testing is being done as a precaution,” Headrick said. “We don’t have any data that suggests that lead exposure has occurred (in students).”

Action level

Located in a sleepy town with a population of about 230, Goodsprings Elementary is a small school with a not-so-small history.

The town where it stands was once a booming mining district, considered the most prolific mining operation in the county and boasting hundreds of residents at the time. Today, Goodsprings is a ghost town that is known for attractions such as the Pioneer Saloon — the place where film star Clark Gable reportedly had a drink after learning that wife Carole Lombard died in a plane crash at nearby Mount Potosi in 1942. The town also was listed by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission as a “zone area” for the Nevada Test Site in a 1955 document that detailed information about fallout and flash exposure to residents.

The Goodsprings Schoolhouse, meanwhile, is included in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. First opened in 1913, Goodsprings Elementary is often touted as the oldest elementary school in the state. These days, the school has less than 10 students and shares a principal with Sandy Valley Elementary and Indian Springs Elementary.

In data first obtained by the RGJ from the state through a public records request on Feb. 18, Goodsprings Elementary School was listed as one of 23 sites with public water systems that exceeded levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency for contaminants in drinking water. Of those 23 public water systems deemed non-compliant by the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection, Goodsprings was one of three that exceeded action levels for lead. Sampling from a water fountain at the school’s community center revealed lead levels of 16 parts per billion, exceeding the action level of 15 parts per billion set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA has no safe level for lead in drinking water. The “action level,” however, serves as a benchmark that triggers investigation and follow-up action. The EPA and Centers for Disease Control and Protection say that there is no safe level of lead in blood, particularly in children as even small amounts can cause serious health problems. In addition to adversely affecting a child’s mental and physical development, lead exposure can be fatal at higher levels.

Lead was already on the state’s radar because the EPA asked Nevada and other states to look at potential lead contamination in drinking water after the events at Flint, Mich., Headrick said. Gov. Brian Sandoval said he was pleased to learn that Nevada only has three small, non-residential water systems of concern for lead contamination and that the state took immediate action to remedy any possible issues involving Goodsprings Elementary. Sandoval added that the state is working with all parties involved to return those systems to compliance, with bottled water being provided until the issues are fully resolved.

“When the challenges in Flint became well-known at the end of 2015, we began to discuss the state of affairs in Nevada with respect to drinking water compliance for lead,” Sandoval said. “I will continue working with the state’s Department of Environmental Protection to ensure that Nevada is taking proactive measures to continue to ensure the health and well-being of all of our communities.”

Blind spots

Part of the challenge with smaller communities such as Goodsprings is keeping close track of all water sources.

Goodpsrings is not on the Las Vegas Valley Water District, for example, and features various individual wells. The state has about 580 water systems that the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection oversees, including smaller ones such as the Goodsprings Elementary School system.

Unlike bigger water utilities such as the Truckee Meadows Water Authority, which serves 385,000 residents, smaller systems also do not have the financial and manpower resources that bigger systems can bring to bear.

“The smaller systems are the ones that tend to struggle with regaining compliance because they typically have limited financial resources so we have to collectively figure out ways to help that community get back to compliance,” said Jennifer Carr, NDEP deputy administrator. “Larger systems such as TMWA also have more personnel to tackle projects whereas some of our smaller water systems are operated by one person who might be doing another side job.”

Even regions such as the greater Reno-Sparks metro area can have scattered pockets outside the purview of major water utilities such as the Truckee Meadows Water Authority.

“Not all water in the Truckee Meadows is TMWA controlled,” said Will Raymond, Truckee Meadows Water Authority water operation supervisor. “You have a lot of privately owned mobile parks, a lot of scattered water utilities out in places like Verdi and Spanish Springs that we have no control over and do not receive TMWA water.”

Water systems in Nevada fall under multiple tiers and are tested based on a sampling schedule, which can vary based on their size or the risk level of the source. Some systems can be on a triennial sampling schedule of once every three years while others can have a shorter time frame. TMWA, for example, is on a reduced monitoring schedule for lead and copper because testing revealed levels for both to be so low in TMWA water and the utility has not had any issues with either contaminant.

At the same time, being on a triennial cycle does not mean a utility only does testing once every three years. There are still tests that TMWA does on a daily or monthly basis, not just for the treatment plant but the distribution center as well. TMWA also has the advantage of being a newer water system, which means it does not have lead in its distribution lines unlike the older infrastructure seen in areas such as Flint, Mich.

Even water from a major utility such as TMWA, however, can leave its infrastructure clean but end up being contaminated once it enters the plumbing system of an older house or building, which can be a blind spot.

“What we really have no control over … is the plumbing after the meter,” Raymond said. “What happens (when the water enters the distribution system of) a building or apartment complex is something we really don’t know.”

One thing that utilities such as TMWA do is to identify key properties for testing at the tap. In addition to older facilities built before Nevada banned solder that had a lead content higher than 0.2 percent in 1989, for example, schools are considered priorities for testing.

Asked about older distribution systems in the state that might have lead in their infrastructure, the state told the RGJ that it does not maintain a database of lead service lines.

“The water systems are responsible for knowing the materials within their systems,” Carr said. “So the information we have on water systems from that perspective is really related to information we get when (the water systems) do their lead sampling.”

Next steps

For Goodsprings, further action will depend on the results of the latest testing.

Although the issue involving the water fountain has been fixed, it can’t be turned on until the Southern Nevada Health District grants its approval, Headrick said.

County officials say they do not expect to see elevated lead levels in the people tested, especially in students based on usage of the facility.

“The school and the county have an agreement to use that community center, which is Clark County property, but we rarely do,” Headrick said. “We mainly use it during inclement weather when it’s too hot or too cold for students to go outside for P.E. or recess.”

Officials, however, plan to overhaul the system to prevent any potential problems in the future. Headrick says old fixtures and pipes typically are a common source of lead contamination but testing also will be done on the school’s main water source as a precaution.

“We’re going to test the source for lead and copper and then move forward to a final solution (based on the results),” Headrick said. “We’ll be looking into ways to renovate the system so we eliminate any further incidents of elevated lead levels.”

Testing results for children typically become available quickly but the health district can’t comment on them until parents are notified, Bethel said. Test results for adults will take a little longer, Bethel added.

The state, meanwhile, continues to work with the EPA as the federal agency bolsters water quality standards. Revised standards for coliform contamination are scheduled to take effect in April, for example. The EPA is also looking at creating standards for emerging contaminants such as Perfluorinated Chemicals or PFCs as well as microbeads.

“I have asked NDEP to work closely with EPA as it considers potential revisions to its drinking water regulations,” Sandoval said.

These include changes to EPA guidance involving lead and copper contamination. Sandoval says he has also instructed NDEP to inform him if any changes need to be made with the non-compliant water systems and how long such measures will take place.

In the case of Goodsprings, news of elevated lead levels receive even more attention because of its history of lead mining. It’s a history that dates back to 1856 when Mormons developed a lode mine in the area following the discovery of lead at Mount Potosi. Lead mining peaked in the early 1900s, continuing through the end of World War I, and was followed by a smaller spike in World War II.

The health district initially indicated that it wanted to test the whole community as well but that would require more time for planning and outreach, according to Headrick. Instead, immediate testing will focus on the children that attend the school and residents who used the community center, Headrick said.

The health district, meanwhile, will have contingencies in place should any of the people tested show elevated levels.
“If anyone is found to have elevated blood lead levels follow up testing will be performed by the Health District, and appropriate referrals to a medical provider will be made,” Bethel said. “Additionally, Health District staff will conduct environmental assessments on the personal residence of any person found to have an elevated blood lead level to help further determine the source of the exposure.”

Nevada's 23 non-compliant water systems

An original list of the non-compliant water systems in the state based on data received by the The Reno Gazette-Journal from the state on Feb. 18, 2016. Some sites such as Silver Knolls have since returned to compliance after steps were undertaken to fix the issues discovered.

LEAD

• Marigold Mine Potable Water System, Humboldt
• Goodsprings School, Clark
• Fort Churchill Power Plant, Lyon

COPPER

• Coeur Rochester Inc., Pershing
• Mount Rose Bowl Homeowners Association, Washoe

ARSENIC

• Alamo Sewer and Water GID, Lincoln
• Wilde’s Manor, Churchill
• Frontier Village Mobile Home Park, Clark
• Desert Paradise Mobile Home Park, Clark
• McDermitt Water System, Humboldt
• Old River Water Company, Churchill
• Roark Estates Water Association, Clark
• Lamoille Valley Plaza, Elko
• Silver Knolls Mutual Water Company, Washoe
• Shoshone Estates Water Company, Nye

NITRATE

• Windmill Ridge, Lincoln

URANIUM

• Rosemount Water Company, Washoe

DISINFECTANT BYPRODUCT

• Hawthorne Army Depot, Mineral

TOTAL COLIFORM

• Ruby Hill Mine, Eureka
• Kings River Elementary School, Humboldt
• Deer Creek Springs, Clark
• Wilson Reservoir BLM Camp Ground, Elko
• Bird Creek Camp Ground, White Pine