Los Angeles Unified School District began testing some schools in 1988. The same year, they adopted a mandatory flushing program, requiring water fountains and faucets to run for 30 seconds before use every day. The EPA suggests this basic remedy to reduce the lead contamination that occurs when water sits in pipes overnight. In 2008, the District tested all schools again, and they are currently reviewing those results to continue remediation measures.

New York began testing public schools in 2002. The city completed tests of all schools built before the 1986 national ban on lead plumbing in construction projects. Unlike LA, New York has not tested schools built after 1986. The New York State Assembly passed legislation this year to require regular lead testing in all public schools. The results of past tests are also available online.

Residential Testing

x

Chicago and Los Angeles both test residential taps for lead every three years, as required by the EPA. New York has exceeded their requirement by testing annually over the past three years. For the most recent reporting three-year period, Chicago has reported 50 lead tap tests to the EPA, the lowest number of the three cities. Los Angeles reported 103 tap tests and New York has reported 761 tap tests during the past three years. 

There is also variation in how testing sites are chosen.  A report from the Chicago Tribune revealed that Chicago's testing sites are often the homes of former Department of Water Management Employees, which limits the areas of the city that are represented in the testing pool. This form of site selection does not violate the EPA standard, however, other cities have chosen their sites differently. For example, Los Angeles invites its residents to apply to become a testing site, which increases the likelihood that those sites are spread across the city.