Testing for Lead in Drinking Water - Public and Nonpublic Schools

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Announcements

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DATE	ANNOUNCEMENTS / EMAIL OUTREACH
August 23, 2024	IMPORTANT: Submission of Test Results for Lead in Drinking Water Samples Collected between July 2, 2023, and July 1, 2024, under State Law This email outreach was sent to remind the school of the September 15, 2024, deadline to report to MDE the results of standard/routine samples that were collected during the 2023-2024 school year.
August 7, 2024	IMPORTANT REMINDER: Reducing the Risk of Drinking Water Quality Problems at Schools to Protect Your Students and Staff This email outreach was sent to remind schools about flushing stagnant water in the school's plumbing system to avoid potential water quality problems during the opening week of the new school year.
May 3, 2024	IMPORTANT - Updated Completion of Remedial Action Form This email outreach was sent to notify all schools that one of MDE forms have been updated and that all schools should use the updated form moving forward (when schools have completed remediation of their outlets).
March 1, 2024	MDE Lead in Drinking Water Testing in Schools: Live Informational Sessions This email outreach was sent to notify all schools of virtual video viewing and live Q&A sessions related to the training videos developed by MDE to help guide school personnel through the process of conducting testing for lead in drinking water as required at applicable schools under Maryland law.
December 8, 2023	New! How-to Videos for Lead Testing in Drinking Water in Schools This email outreach was sent to notify all schools that MDE has developed several videos to help guide school personnel through the process of conducting testing for lead in drinking water as required at applicable schools under Maryland law. The videos cover various aspects of the testing process, including planning and preparation, sample collection, documentation and reporting, parent/guardian notification, and actions required if elevated levels of lead are discovered in drinking water outlets.
August 23, 2023	IMPORTANT: Lead Samples Collected July 2, 2022, to July 1, 2023 ONLY – Submission of Water Test Results and Related Documents This email outreach was sent to remind the school of the September 15, 2023, deadline to report to MDE the results of standard/routine samples that were collected during the 2022-2023 school year.
August 11, 2023	IMPORTANT REMINDER: Reducing the Risk of Drinking Water Quality Problems at Schools to Protect Your Students and Staff This email outreach was sent to remind schools about flushing stagnant water in the school's plumbing system to avoid potential water quality problems during the opening week of the new school year.
September 1, 2022	IMPORTANT: Lead Testing in Water in Schools - October 1, 2022 REPORTING Deadline (for Samples Collected Between July 2, 2021, and July 1, 2022) This email outreach was sent to remind schools of the October 1, 2022, deadline to report to MDE the results of standard/routine samples that were collected during the 2021-2022 school year.
August 12, 2022	IMPORTANT REMINDER: Reducing the Risk of Drinking Water Quality Problems at Schools to Protect Your Students and Staff This email outreach was sent to remind schools about flushing stagnant water in the school's plumbing system to avoid potential water quality problems during the opening week of the new school year.
July 20, 2022	IMPORTANT REMINDER -- Remediation Deadline August 1, 2022 The email outreach was sent to remind schools of the August 1, 2022, remediation deadline per Maryland House Bill 636 (2021 Legislative Session). This remediation deadline applies to any drinking water outlets for which test samples were analyzed on or before June 1, 2021, with lead results greater than or equal to 5.5 parts per billion (ppb) but less than 20.5 ppb.
May 31, 2022	IMPORTANT: Application Opens June 1, 2022, for Grant Funding for Lead Remediation in Schools The email outreach was sent to notify public schools that the applications for federal grant funding for lead remediation in schools will be accepted from June 1 through June 22, 2022. This grant funding is from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, Section 2107, and will be used to assist local educational agencies (LEAs) with removing sources of lead in drinking water at schools through remediation.
March 17, 2022	IMPORTANT: Grant Funding for Lead Remediation in Schools The email outreach was sent to notify public schools that there is a grant funding awarded to MDE from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, Section 2107, that can be used to assist local educational agencies (LEAs) with testing for and removing sources of lead in drinking water at schools.
October 1, 2021	IMPORTANT: Lead Testing in Drinking Water in Schools - October 15, 2021 deadline This email outreach was sent to remind schools of the October 15, 2021, deadline to report to MDE the results of standard/routine samples that were collected during the 2020-2021 school year (i.e., samples collected between July 2, 2020, and July 1, 2021).
September 10, 2021	IMPORTANT: Tracking Software for Lead Testing in Drinking Water in Schools - Updates to Required Reporting Procedures The email outreach was sent to notify schools of the change to the reporting procedures including how to submit lead sample results and required reporting forms to MDE.
August 13, 2021	IMPORTANT REMINDER: Reducing the Risk of Drinking Water Quality Problems at Schools to Protect Your Students and Staff This email outreach was sent to remind schools about flushing stagnant water in the school's plumbing system to avoid potential water quality problems during the opening week of the new school year.
May 28, 2021	ATTENTION REQUIRED – NEW LAW for Schools Effective June 1, 2021 – New Lead Action Level in Drinking Water This email outreach was sent to notify schools about a new law that became effective on June 1, 2021. This law changes the definition of an elevated level of lead from 20 parts per billion (ppb) to 5 ppb and requires schools to remediate certain water outlets by August 1, 2022.
April 22, 2021	IMPORTANT: Testing for Lead in Drinking Water - Public and Nonpublic Schools - 2020-2021 Academic School Year This email outreach was sent to provide schools with information regarding lead testing during the 2020-2021 academic school year as schools' operations may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
December 18, 2020	IMPORTANT: Charter School Building Survey (2020-2021 School Year) -- Maryland law (Chapter 386, 2017) & Preventing Potential Water Quality Problems This email outreach, containing a short electronic survey, was sent to charter schools. The purpose of the survey was to help keep Maryland school information up to date as well as to help identify the numbers of school buildings located at each school.
December 18, 2020	IMPORTANT: Nonpublic School Building Survey (2020-2021 School Year) -- Maryland law (Chapter 386, 2017) & Preventing Potential Water Quality Problems This email outreach, containing a short electronic survey, was sent to nonpublic schools. The purpose of the survey was to help keep Maryland school information up to date as well as to help identify the numbers of school buildings located at each school.
August 19, 2020	IMPORTANT REMINDER: Reducing the Risk of Drinking Water Quality Problems at Schools to Protect Your Students and Staff This email outreach was sent to remind schools about flushing stagnant water in the school's plumbing system to avoid potential water quality problems during the opening week of the new school year.
October 4, 2019	IMPORTANT: Lead Testing in Drinking Water in Schools - October 15, 2019 deadline This email outreach was sent to remind the school of the October 15, 2019, deadline to report to MDE the results of standard/routine samples that were collected during the 2018-2019 school year (i.e., samples collected between July 2, 2018, and July 1, 2019).
August 9, 2019	IMPORTANT REMINDER: Preventing Water Quality Problems at Schools This email outreach was sent to remind schools about flushing stagnant water in the school's plumbing system to avoid potential water quality problems during the opening week of the new school year.
May 13, 2019	Testing for Lead in Drinking Water in Schools: Two IMPORTANT Notices This email outreach was sent to remind schools of the initial round of lead testing deadlines and to provide schools information on how report sample results to MDE.
May 22, 2018	NEW MDE WEB PAGE! TESTING for LEAD in DRINKING WATER—PUBLIC and NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS This email outreach was sent to notify schools of MDE's web page that contains information on Maryland's law, "Testing for Lead in Drinking Water - Public and Nonpublic Schools" (House Bill 270, 2017 Legislative Session).
March 16, 2018	TRAINING INVITATION: House Bill 270 Lead in Drinking Water - Public and Nonpublic Schools This email outreach was sent to notify schools about state-wide training sessions led by MDE that will assist schools with implementing the lead testing requirements under the state law, "Testing for Lead in Drinking Water - Public and Nonpublic Schools" (House Bill 270, 2017 Legislative Session), and understanding the regulations.