UPDATE: June 23, 2016

We have tested water samples from all of our facilities, including the facilities we lease, for the presence of lead in the water. All test results were found to be within established Oregon Health Authority threshold of <20 ppb.

Bend-La Pine Schools received test kits and completed the collection of drinking water samples during the week of June 6.

Click here to see results by site.

Gov. Kate Brown has announced plans to develop guidelines for schools around lead and other environmental testing. We will develop a district plan accordingly.

NEWS: June 8, 2016

Parents may be aware of recent news out of Portland, Oregon and around the country that elevated levels of lead were found to be present in some school sinks and fountains.

In light of this news, Bend-La Pine Schools is taking precautionary steps to ensure safe water supplies. Although there are no water testing requirements for schools in Oregon, Bend-La Pine Schools has begun voluntarily testing its schools’ drinking water for lead.

Bend-La Pine Schools received test kits and has just completed the collection of drinking water samples from our schools. In all, samples from 38 school/program sites were collected this week and are now at a local, professional lab. The lab will be testing for the presence of lead and results are expected to back to us in the next two to three weeks.

For convenience as we near summer vacation, the district's News and Alerts webpage will be utilized to provide updates about the work and the test results, as it becomes available.

Our communities’ water providers are required to test water on a regular basis. Some of our school sites have been included in these tests. We have had no reports that water tests in our communities have ever shown unsatisfactory levels of lead in the water supply.

The details of these water quality reports can be found at:

• Avion Water - Most Recent Water Quality Report
• City of Bend - Most Recent Water Quality Report
• City of La Pine - Most Recent Water Quality Report
• Sunriver Water - Most Recent Water Quality Report

Bend-La Pine Schools takes the health and safety of students and staff seriously. Lead in water is a concern because high lead levels can contribute to negative health effects, especially for pregnant women, infants and young children under 6 years old. If you have any concerns about lead exposure, please see the resources below and/or contact your healthcare provider.

For more information:

• Information for Parents from the Center for Disease Control on Lead Exposure
• Information from the Environmental Protection Agency on Protecting your Family from Lead Exposure
• Know the Facts: Publication on Lead Exposure from the Center for Disease Control (English) (277 KB)
• Lo que debe saber sobre el envenenamiento del plomo (Spanish) Publicación sobre la exposición al plomo desde el Centro de Cont (218 KB)