Water and Lead Testing

If you have any trouble accessing the documents on this page, please contact Secretary to Superintendent & District Clerk Andrea Muhlebeck to receive the documents in an alternate format.

Water and Lead Testing Results

New York state became the first state in the nation to require all public schools and BOCES to test all sources of drinking water for lead on Sept. 6, 2016.

Under this law, in the fall of 2016, school districts were required to collect samples from water outlets used for drinking and cooking in any buildings that may be occupied by students and have the samples tested at a state certified laboratory. In December of 2022 the threshold for action was lowered from 15 parts per billion to 5 parts per billion, and the testing cycle was lowered from every 5 years to every 3 years.

Lead-free buildings

Testing within the Canajoharie Central School District has been completed in 2024 and any fixtures in the district that were found to be above the new lower threshold of 5 parts per Billion will remain out of service until a remediation plan is in place and further testing indicates that lead levels are below the action level.

Water tests in the district’s elementary, middle and high school buildings have been completed in accordance with state law.

Lead-free buildings

Lead-free, as defined by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, is based on the lead content of plumbing materials. Federal laws enacted in 1986 and updated in 2011, limit the amount of lead that can be used in new plumbing and fixtures. A building can be deemed lead-free if it was built after Jan. 4, 2014, or a New York State licensed professional engineer or architect certifies it to be lead-free. Under New York’s new law, school buildings designated as lead-free are no longer exempt from testing requirements.