GCPS Water Testing

  • Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) is committed to the safety and well-being of students and staff; this includes ensuring they have access to safe drinking water. In a continuation of that commitment, reaffirmed more than three decades ago, GCPS has resumed testing drinking water for lead.
     
    The resumption of periodic testing, which began in 1987, is a proactive measure to ensure the health and safety of our students, staff, parents, and the community. GCPS has no evidence of widespread water quality issues in any school or building. 

     

     

    GCPS is working with the Georgia Department of Education and RTI International, a North Carolina-based EPA Accredited Lead Testing Laboratory, to complete its comprehensive plan that involves testing all drinking and cooking water taps in GCPS schools for lead. Testing will start in elementary schools before moving to middle and then high schools. The process is tentatively scheduled to be completed by the beginning of the 2024-25 school year.

    For more information about GCPS’ testing efforts, please review the following downloadable documents:

     

    Water testing results will be posted on the Clean Water for Georgia Kids Website.

    Questions about the water testing program should be submitted to water_testing@gcpsk12.org.
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  • Why is Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) testing water for lead?

    GCPS is taking a proactive opportunity to ensure the health and safety of students and staff by participating in the “Clean Water for Georgia Kids” program, as a logical next step in its long history of actions to ensure that water provided in the district’s schools remains safe to consume.

  • What is the “Clean Water for Georgia Kids” program?

    It is a voluntary program, funded with an E.P. A. grant and developed by the State, with a mission to identify and eliminate lead in drinking and cooking water where Georgia children learn and play.

  • How will lead in GCPS’ drinking and cooking water be identified?

    Water from all fixtures supplying water for drinking and cooking in a school will be sampled and tested.

  • Which schools will be tested?

    All schools will be tested, beginning with elementary schools, followed by middle schools, then high schools. 

  • When will my child’s school be tested?

    Testing will begin in January 2024, and will be completed around the start of the new school year in August 2024. The specific sampling schedule will be made available on the GCPS website, along with information on methodology and other related resources.

  • Who will do the testing?

    Water samples will be taken by GCPS staff trained in appropriate sampling methods. Samples will be tested by RTI International, a North Carolina based commercial laboratory that has partnered with the Georgia State Department of Education to support the water testing program. RTI International is an EPA Accredited Lead Testing Laboratory.

  • How soon will test results be available?

    Samples will be submitted within ten days of collection, but an exact turnaround time for results is not available; however, RTI is committed to providing results in a timely manner.

  • Will results be made available to the public?

    Yes, results from RTI will be available online and a link to those results will be available on the GCPS websites.

  • If the water sample from a fixture tests positive for lead, what action will be taken?

    The action taken for a positive sample will depend on the level of lead detected. When the level detected exceeds the E.P.A. action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb) for public water systems, the related fixture will be immediately shut off or otherwise isolated to remove it from service. Appropriate remediation steps, such as fixture replacement, will be taken. The fixture will not be returned to service until samples taken after remediation test below the action level.

  • Where can parents/staff get more information?

    Information will be regularly updated on this GCPS website in response to questions from the community.

Water Testing Schedule