Drinking water at most Oakland schools now meets safety thresholds, officials say

Oakland Unified School District officials confirmed that drinking water at 70 of its 76 schools now tests below the lead safety threshold of 5 parts per billion. This progress follows the district's testing of 6,781 water sources after elevated lead levels were found last year. Nearly all kitchen sinks are now functional, according to Nilufar Abdul, the assistant project manager for systems and services. The district added 60 filtered water stations over the summer and aims to reach a ratio of one station for every 100 students. A new testing dashboard will be introduced to enhance transparency regarding water quality data.

The school board allocated $20. 5 million in March to support these lead remediation efforts. Lead exposure is particularly harmful to children, potentially causing developmental delays. The district is also implementing an automated notification system to keep schools informed about testing and repairs.