{"id":6976,"date":"2024-01-10T09:04:50","date_gmt":"2024-01-10T14:04:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/drinking-water\/?page_id=6976"},"modified":"2025-12-08T09:03:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T14:03:22","slug":"school-and-child-care-lead-sampling-projects","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/drinking-water\/school-and-child-care-lead-sampling-projects\/","title":{"rendered":"School and Child Care – Lead Sampling Projects"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NOTE: THE VDH GRANT PROGRAM IS OPEN FOR NEW APPLICATIONS AND YOU CAN APPLY HERE<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The\u00a0School and Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program<\/strong>\u00a0adheres to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA)\u00a03T's guidance<\/a>\u00a0for lead testing in school and child care facilities. Upon enrolling, our partners at 120Water will provide everything needed for facilities to create their own lead sampling and remediation plan. Our program, made possible by the\u00a0Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN)<\/a>, provides free sampling kits and technical assistance for facilities to sample facility faucets and fountains for lead presence. Once samples are collected, facility managers can use prelabeled return boxes to send samples to our state contracted labs for testing. The\u00a0120Water<\/a> portal will help facilities compile the data and record work completed. We will all work together to educate stakeholders on the risks of lead in drinking water and determine the most appropriate solution for our most vulnerable population. For samples that indicate a lead exceedance, the Office of Drinking Water (ODW) can provide technical assistance and guidance for remediation options. ODW can provide funding in the form of reimbursement for remediation projects through the grant program, see more information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\tFacility Login - 120Water Portal\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Background Information<\/h3>\n
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Management of lead in drinking water supplied in Virginia schools and child care facilities is mandated in part by \u00a7 22.1-135.1<\/a> and \u00a7 22.1-289.057<\/a> of the Code of Virginia, which took effect July 1, 2017, and is guided by EPA's 3Ts \u2013 Training, Testing, and Taking Action \u2013 for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools and Child Care Facilities<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Under the 2017 Virginia statute, local school boards and licensed child day programs were directed to develop and implement a plan to test and, if necessary, remediate potable water from plumbing fixtures identified by the EPA as a high priority for testing: drinking fountains, cafeteria or kitchen taps, classroom sinks equipped with drinking fountains, and sinks known to be or visibly used for consumption.<\/p>\n

The 2017 Virginia code was amended in April 2020, requiring local school boards and licensed child day programs to submit copies of testing plans and sample results to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and to notify parents if testing results indicate lead concentrations greater than 15 ppb.<\/p>\n

Participation in VDH's School and Child Care Lead Testing and Reduction Grant Program allows facilities to meet all requirements as required by the Code of Virginia. Copies of historical testing plans and sample results can be emailed to leadtestingprogram@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Technical Resources<\/h3>\n
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