NYC Health Department and Public Schools Announce Additional Water Protections in Schools, Reducing Risk of Lead Contamination

NYC Health Department and Public Schools Announce Additional Water Protections in Schools, Reducing Risk of Lead Contamination

New Measures Take Critical Steps Towards a Lead-Free Environment in New York City Public Schools by Reducing the Risk of Lead Exposure Through Drinking Water

September 17, 2026 - Today the New York City Health Department and New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) announced new measures, backed by a $5 million initial investment from the city, to make water in New York City Public Schools safer. By increasing lead testing rates and water flushing rates, and taking new steps to protect drinking water, these efforts will help further reduce the risk that students are exposed to high levels of lead in drinking water.

New York City water is virtually lead-free when it is delivered from the City's upstate reservoir system. Although rare, drinking water can have lead that comes from solder, fixtures, or pipes in a school's plumbing system.

The new measures aim to build on decades long progress to prevent lead exposure for New Yorkers of all ages and expands upon protections introduced in NYCPS in 2018. The number of New York City children with elevated blood lead levels are reaching historic lows. In 2025, the number of children under six years of age with blood lead levels of 3.5 mcg/dL or greater had fallen 94% since 2005 and 16% since 2024.

Following recent reporting from the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), whose complete recommendations are currently under review, these newly announced measures go beyond existing detection and remediation efforts, which while effective in a vast majority of schools, can reoccur in isolated faucets. These efforts target these limited reoccurrences and further protect the already high-quality drinking water in schools, which has shown to be safe for students.

"There is no better beverage for your health than New York City's clean, fresh drinking water," said NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Alister F. Martin. "New York City's public schools already offer students high-quality drinking water and has taken steps to test and fix any source of lead exposure in school water fountains and other faucets. This announcement marks another advancement in New York City's decades-long history of reducing sources of lead exposure for all New Yorkers, going even further, ensuring that faucets in schools that continue to show high levels of lead are field-tested, flushed, filtered, and fixed."

"As a father, the safety of our children is my top priority and no family should send their child to school wondering if the water is safe for them to drink," said Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels. "While I am proud to already implement some of the most robust policies in the country for water testing, I am committed to partnering with the NYC Health Department to get this right for our families so that clean water can flow from every tap."

Based on recommendations from the NYC Health Department, NYC Public Schools will implement the following measures. Initial actions will commence today.

Increased Testing and Flushing

Testing water faucets in schools helps monitor any changes in lead levels over time. In schools where lead test results show exceedances above 5 ppb (parts per billion), NYCPS will triple the frequency of testing from once every three years to at least once a year in addition to completely replacing the fixture. Five parts per billion is the New York State action level which is more protective than the current federal level of 15 ppb.

For pipes where water has been sitting for long periods of time, flushing before drinking is an effective way to ensure water safety. NYCPS currently flushes water faucets and fountains every Monday, or the next day that school is open after a break or holiday. Effective immediately, school custodial staff will be increasing flushing across schools.

Targeted Filtration and Source Remediation

For any school faucet that exceeds 5 ppb after having already been remediated, NYCPS will install a filter intended to reduce lead levels in the water. While water filtration for this purpose is a new intervention, for isolated faucets where other remediations have not proven successful, the city will be deploying these filters.

NYCPS will also intervene a step further to investigate the potential source of lead that may be causing the repeated elevated lead test results and seek to remove the source. This multi-layered approach - filtering and source removal - helps protect children in the immediate term, while diagnosing and fixing the root issue. Testing will be conducted after both filtration and remediation to ensure the water is clean.

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