PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – In a city well known for its green activism, an environmental threat has bubbled up in an unexpected place: the drinking water at some public schools.
The Willamette Week newspaper reported late Tuesday that over half of the 90 school sites tested between 2010 and 2012 had elevated levels of lead in the drinking water at some locations.
The report, based on a public records request, landed during an emergency meeting already underway to discuss why the Portland Public Schools failed to disclose elevated lead levels at two schools for nearly two months – and left the taps running for days while it completed repairs.
That news, first reported by The Oregonian last week, had already galvanized parents and led to an online petition for the resignation of Superintendent Carole Smith.
Rachel Brunette’s 7-year-old daughter attends Duniway Elementary, a school listed has having elevated lead at a cafeteria dishwashing station and at drinking fountains in the Willamette Week report.