DETROIT – The superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools Community District said he doesn't believe the problem with the district's water is isolated to schools in the city.
Superintendent Nikolai Vitti is urging suburban districts to take action after testing revealed elevated lead and copper levels in the water at Detroit schools.
"We're talking about Detroit today, but I think this is a national problem," Vitti said. "I would even say in suburban districts with older facilities, this could be a problem. But no one knows because they're not testing."
Vitti also revealed a new plan to fix the problem once and for all in Detroit.
Eight states require testing of school water, but Michigan isn't one of them. The plan in Detroit isn't to replace each affected fountain or fixture, but to do something to almost guarantee the water will be safe.
"Creating unique water stations with a separate piping, separate filtration system, regular testing," Vitti said.
That plan might roll out next year, but in the meantime, the district will spend about $200,000 in the next few months to keep bottled water in place at the schools.
"Being a principal, we're used to taking on challenges," Academy of the Americas Principal Nicholas Brown said. "We're happy to do the best we can for our kids."
Testing isn't required by law, and it's also expensive, which might explain why other schools haven't tested their water.
The bill to make testing water a requirement, which previously stalled, is likely to be brought up again.