Facilities Management - Environmental Testing Results

This website is being provided to our school community to provide ongoing information on important environmental testing results.  Please note, the district is NOT required to test for Radon, however, Burlington Township has chosen to do so.   Lead testing became required for all schools within New Jersey during the 2016-2017 school year.  The requirement includes testing every 6 years for lead in drinking water.  The district is NOT required to test for mercury as there are no currently available guidelines.  Burlington Township is one of the first districts in the state to face a potential environmental issue because of mercury in rubberized floors.  The testing is being conducted out of an abundance of caution for our students, staff and visitors. 

LEAD TESTING 

The district, in compliance with New Jersey law, testing all water sources for the potential of lead. Below are the results of this testing.

In July 2016, the New Jersey Department of Education adopted mandatory regulations regarding testing for lead content in drinking water in all public schools throughout the state. All school districts were subsequently provided with very specific instructions on development of a plumbing profile and Lead Sampling Plan. Under the original regulations, schools were required to test within one year of the enactment of the new law. In addition, schools were also required to retest for lead content once every six years after initial testing. The district originally established plans to test one building per year, as we do for radon, to ensure we remained in compliance. However, the regulations were amended and readopted in August 2020. The amendment requires all schools to test for lead in drinking water every three years beginning with the 2021-2022 school year. 


2021-2022 Testing


2020-2021 Testing

Burlington Township Middle School @ Springside Lead Content Testing Letter to Families - October 2, 2020


2019-2020 Testing

B. Bernice Young School Lead Content Testing Letter to Families - December 19, 2019


2018-2019 Testing

Burlington Township High School - Hopkins Building - Lead Content Testing Letter to Families - March 28, 2019


2017-2018 Testing

Burlington Township High School Lead Content Testing Letter to Families - May 24, 2018 (Testing April 21, 2018)

2016-2017 Testing

Links to actual test results can be found in each building's letter.

MERCURY ABATEMENT INFORMATION 

Burlington Township Schools passed a referendum in December 2015.  One of the many projects was replacement of the B. Bernice Young Elementary School gymnasium floor.  During the work to scope the removal of the existing flooring and the installation of new flooring, the district became aware that the floor contained mercury.  The amount of mercury in the bulk sample was over the limit for the flooring to be processed at a non-hazardous landfill and would have to be treated as hazardous waste.  On the day this information was received, the district took immediate proactive measures and engaged a Certified Industrial Hygienist to monitor the air in the gymnasium and determine the mercury vapor levels.  The results indicated that the gymnasium was under the acceptable limits.  


The District sought more information and compiled specifications for removal of the flooring to be conducted over the summer 2017. The District began communicating with the community in February 2017, after gaining a better understanding of issue.  The information on this issue and our work to further understand the issue as well as provide continued information to our families is ongoing.  


The District takes the responsibility of ensuring safety seriously and will continue to update our families as we progress through this situation until the flooring is removed and new flooring is installed.




Form to submit questions


Answers to submitted questions about mercury



A Bigger Issue Than Just Burlington Township

Mercury vapor from flooring is becoming an emerging issue for schools across the country.  


Arizona article from March 2016