Not only Flint has a problem with the drinking water. A recent investigation by USA TODAY NETWORK has identified almost 2,000 additional water systems spanning all 50 states where testing has shown excessive levels of lead contamination over the past four years. The water systems, which reported lead levels exceeding Environmental Protection Agency standards, collectively supply water to 6 million people. About 350 of those systems provide drinking water to schools or day cares. The investigation also found at least 180 of the water systems failed to notify consumers about the high lead levels as federal rules require. Many of the highest reported lead levels were found at schools and day cares. A water sample at a Maine elementary school was 42 times higher than the EPA limit of 15 parts per billion, while a Pennsylvania preschool was 14 times higher, records show. At an elementary school in Ithaca, N.Y., one sample tested this year at a stunning 5,000 ppb of lead, the EPA’s threshold for "hazardous waste." http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/03/11/nearly-2000-water-systems-fail-lead-tests/81220466/
We were always told to let the drinking fountain run for a few seconds, at my grade schools, for some such reason - that also got the water cool, so it was easy to remember.
