When Will The Water Be Drinkable At Carver Middle High School?
By: Ava McElroy
Sept. 21, 2021
Students and staff at Carver Middle High school are unable to use the water filling stations.
“Several years ago there was a concern with the manganese level,” said the Principal Michael Schultz. After the new filtration system was put in, the manganese levels are now lower than the state requirement of 1.5. As of now, the manganese level is 0.7.
James McLaughlin, who works for a company that certifies the drinking water is safe to consume, performed tests that revealed high amounts of manganese, lead, and iron in the drinking water. If there is too much manganese present in drinking water, it can cause issues with memory, speech, and coordination. It can also leave stains in showers, toilets, and sinks (wqa.org).
The company that tests the drinking water requires the filtration system to run and flush through from about 6 months to a year to ensure that the drinking water is safe to consume after a new filtration system is put in place. The filtration system was replaced during the summer of 2021. McLaughlin also runs weekly tests to monitor the manganese, iron, and lead levels in the drinking water.
Lead and iron are two other minerals being tested weekly due to recurring issues with numbers getting too high.
Even though there was a new filtration system put in at the school, nothing can be done to prevent this from happening again. The school uses well water and the amount of iron sitting there will build when it is not being used or flushed out. The build up of iron can cause other bacteria and metals to grow as well.
Mr. Schultz is hoping that the water will be in commission by the end of the 2021-2022 school year, after the filtration system was recently upgraded during this past summer. Until the drinking water is safe to consume, there are gallons of water and cups provided by the school for each classroom.
Students Currently Aren't Allowed to Drink Water From the School
By: Abby Johnson
Sept. 28, 2021
Students and staff at Carver Middle High School (CMHS) are concerned and curious about the water situation here at school. Curiosity and speculation flood the school with questions about why the water is undrinkable.
When asked about why the water is unsafe to drink, Principal Michael Schultz answered, “Several years ago, there was concern with the manganese levels in the water….right now the water is safe to drink and we are under the state’s manganese level of 1.5. We’re at .7.”
Given that the school is under the maximum level of manganese, the water IS safe to drink, it just needs to be flushed out of the well frequently.
Schultz added that students and staff cannot consume the water because the manganese is created in water that sits in the well for very long periods of time. Because the water has been sitting in the well the entire summer, it needs to be flushed out.
Manganese can be a harmful chemical in water if there is an excessive amount.
Along with staff, students are very frustrated about this inconvenience. CMHS sophomore Natalie Waitkus said, “I think it’s just unfair that when student athletes have to hydrate for games and practices, it’s super inconvenient. For some of the students here, they'll have to walk all the way across the building just to get a bottle of water from the office.”
In the coming months, the water will be back for the students to drink again and tests are being done to the water weekly.