Birgitte Lund, who lives only a few kilometers from Spring Terrace Public School. In the past month, it’s become ground zero for shocking news about water safety there. As of 2023, the school has been delivering bottled water to its students on the regular. This action was taken after the bacteria and copper were found in the drinking water. In May 2024, tests showed unsafe levels of lead for the first time. This scary finding led to a serious outcry from parents and health advocates across the country.
First in May 2023 and again in 2024, school water samples tested positive for high levels of bacteria. This shocking find immediately compelled law enforcement to take emergency steps to protect students. As a result, the education department has undertaken an extensive water testing program — every six months — on schools that rely on tank water. This means schools like Spring Terrace Public School. Even with all of these initiatives, the school’s tap water is still problematic. Our recent test results show very high levels of copper contamination in the bubblers and the kitchen tap used by staff.
Health Risks and Parental Concerns
The broader implications of these findings are especially worrisome. Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council recently recommended a safe limit of 10µg/L for lead in drinking water. Our most recent test results went well over this threshold, resulting in immediate concern and activism from parents such as Birgitte Lund.
Lund said she couldn’t believe it when her daughter received a letter explaining what level of lead had been found in the water. Her reaction underscores the gravity of the situation: “Here we go again, and now it’s even worse,” she stated. Lund is adamant that the school authorities are not being transparent about the situation, claiming, “I definitely think they’re hiding something; otherwise they would provide more information.”
Dr. Peter Bentivoglio, a neurologist and co-founder of the Lead Coalition, said children exposed to lead were at risk of serious health consequences. “I don’t think there’s any level of lead that’s safe for kids,” he said. He added that this lead influence presents dire threats to children’s health and brain development.
“These are metals that we are talking about now and that’s really serious for the health of children, for the development of their brains in the case of lead.” – Birgitte Lund
Ongoing Testing and Historical Issues
Recent testing at Spring Terrace Public School has shown that corroded pipes and other infrastructure shortcomings continue to plague the school’s water supply. As the education department spokesperson reiterated, legally speaking, there’s no requirement to replace plumbing that is already in place. They do take the initiative to pinpoint safety hazards through their testing program. We hope this initiative will ultimately lead to the elimination of every potential contamination source in a timely manner.
Dr. Bentivoglio once again stressed the need to figure out exactly how contaminants have entered the school’s water system. “That will help them understand what is the nature of the contamination that has made it into their system,” he continued. His remarks underscore the importance of ensuring robust investigations that get at the underlying causes of this chronic problem.
Past tests found issues with bacteria and copper. It’s only now that lead has been found that alarm bells should be ringing. Parents like Lund are pressing for better communication from local education and health officials about testing results and what any possible health risks might be.
Impact on Community Trust
The cumulative effect of this crisis has taken a deep toll on public confidence in their local school boards. We know health is a top concern for parents. This leads them to ask themselves whether they are receiving adequate and timely public notice about the ongoing safety of their drinking water.
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) noted that there was no statistically significant relationship between metal concentrations in samples from water tanks and their proximity to Cadia mine. This has led to deeper concerns about other possible sources of contamination impacting Spring Terrace Public School.
