A Notice to Parents, Guardians and Staff
A Plan for the Health of Our School Drinking Water
April 28, 2023
Dear Parent, Guardian, and Staff:
We would like to tell you about our plans to reduce potential exposure to lead in drinking
water in our school. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Michigan
Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) are encouraging all
schools and childcare facilities to reduce children’s exposure to lead from school
drinking water. Cassopolis Public Schools is committed to protecting student, teacher,
and staff health. This testing is not being done in response to any specific concerns. We
are being proactive in order to learn about the quality of the drinking water in our
schools. Quality drinking water can foster healthy and successful children.
What we will be doing
To protect our community, we are pleased to let you know that our school will be taking
the following proactive steps:
1. Check the drinking water plumbing for potential lead components.
2. Identify and map all taps used for drinking, cooking, and food preparation.
3. Develop a lead sampling plan to ensure proper water sample collection.
4. Collect water samples at every tap being used or potentially being used for
drinking, cooking, or food preparation.
5. Send samples to a certified drinking water laboratory.
6. Review the results and take immediate action at taps with lead results greater
than 5 parts per billion (ppb). With a goal of reducing the risk at all taps.
7. Inform you of results and information as it becomes available to us.
8. Work on reducing any potential risk of lead in our school drinking water.
When this will happen
We, and a number of other school districts, are working with the State to complete the
assessments within the next few months.
How we will respond to the results
Once we have reviewed the results, we will take immediate action on all taps with
results greater than 5 ppb. These taps will be taken out of service until appropriate
corrective actions can be taken. Actions will be determined based on the plumbing
assessment, severity of results, and resources available. Actions may include one or
more of the following; replacement of taps, pipe replacement or reconfiguration, filters,
flushing, and/or temporary use of bottled water. After corrective actions have been
taken, we will retest the problem taps to ensure the risk of lead exposure has been
reduced. Routine water moving protocols and future routine sampling will also be
implemented for overall water quality.
We are committed to keeping you informed as we implement this healthy drinking water
program in our schools. Visit
www.Michigan.gov/MiLeadSafe to learn more about the
risks of lead in drinking water and how you can reduce the risk of lead in your home.
Sincerely,
John Ritzler, Ph.D.
Superintendent