The state recently finished its first round of lead testing in Spokane Public Schools water fixtures, finding around 260 sinks and water fountains at 37 schools that tested above the legal threshold for lead in school water.

A law passed in 2021 requires the state Department of Health to test all water fixtures installed pre-2016, when the state mandated all water fixtures installed in schools to be lead-free. After testing, fixtures that contain more than 5 parts per billion of lead can’t be used for drinking until they test lower. Faucets can still be used for hand washing until the particles reach 15 parts per billion.

Five parts per billion is the legal threshold for lead in plastic water bottles, as set by the Food and Drug Administration.

In Spokane Public Schools, the school wit

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