By Faith Miller
During the 2016-2017 school year, signs reading “CAUTION NON-POTABLE WATER DO NOT DRINK” appeared in some bathrooms and science rooms throughout the school. Despite these signs, there are no problems that the students of McNicholas High School need to worry about.
According to Executive Director Dave Jackson, there are no problems with the water, but they are being cautious in case problems arise in the future. Jackson said the federal government, under the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, requires signs to be placed at any faucets that has lead over the amount allowed in parts per billion. The mandate states that in most faucets older than ten years, lack of frequent use could lead to the possibility of lead appearing in the water. “McNicholas is committed to working with Greater Cincinnati Water Works to further reduce any risk of lead within the campus,” Jackson said.
Jackson said the reason the signs were posted in the bathrooms and science rooms is “because we don’t want anyone to drink the water where water isn’t meant to be consumed.” Instead of using the bathrooms or science rooms to fill up water bottles, Jackson would rather have students utilize the new water fountain attachments for water bottles located near the café and student union.
McNick worked with Cincinnati Water Works to test all faucets in the school to know which needed to change, which were safe, and which needed signs to warn students of the potential dangers. To further the safety of the students at McNicholas, they replaced some of the faucets in the kitchen to provide the purest water when preparing food for the students. “[W]e want to be proactive in our efforts to reduce any risk of lead on our campus,” Jackson said.
The McNicholas Milestone 