Four Polk County schools show elevated lead levels in water

BARTOW (FOX 13) - Another Tampa Bay area school district has found high levels of lead in its school’s drinking water.  In Polk County, school district officials said they tested more than 150 schools for lead in drinking and cooking water.

They announced this week that four out of five schools tested so far showed elevated levels. The schools are: Cleveland Court Elementary, Union Academy, Inwood Elementary and Winston Academy of Engineering.

Bottled water is supposed to be supplied until its fixed, according to officials. Lead testing will be “ongoing for several months” beginning with schools that were built before 1986. Officials said they want the lead levels to be 15 parts per billion, or 0.015. It's an stricter threshold compared to the Environmental Protection Agency's recommendation of 20 parts per billion. 

The announcement comes a month after the Hillsborough County School District discovered lead at some of its schools.  Officials said they were responding to ongoing water quality concerns across the country. In Detroit, schools have shut off drinking water over lead and copper contamination.

Ongoing updates and results from lead testing at Polk County schools can be found on the school district's website.