Frequently Asked Questions for Child Care Water Testing

All licensed child care centers are required to have a minimum kitchen even if they have all of their food catered, because they have to be able to prepare a meal in the event that a child forgets to bring lunch or spills it on the floor. So, by regulation, every center has to have a food preparation/kitchen sink. If you do not use your other drinking water faucets for drinking or cooking, and they are appropriately labeled for handwashing, those may be excluded. You will, however, need to test the bottled water that you use instead for students by adding bottled water as a tap under the “Other” section at the end of the “Sample Collection” survey.

Note when the state conducts sanitation inspections going forward, the state official will be monitoring water lead testing documentation. If an inspector sees that a center is using faucets other than those tested, the center will be required to test those additional faucets.

Thank you for promptly enrolling in the program. When we ship your sample kit, you will receive an email letting you know it is on its way and the UPS tracking information for the package. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and varying request volume, it can sometimes take several weeks to receive your test kit after signing up. If it has been over 3 weeks, visit our contact page and let us know.

If you are a new center you should begin enrollment in this program early in your licensing process. You will not be able to open unless you can document that your cooking and drinking taps are below the state lead hazard level. Testing through the Clean Water for Carolina Kids™ program takes 4-6 weeks on average. After enrollment, it takes approximately two weeks for your test kit to arrive at your center. After you sample and return the kit to the RTI Laboratory, it takes approximately 2-3 weeks for your sample results to be posted.

If you are enrolled and moving, you can add your new location to your account. Simply enroll your new location as another center, instructions can be found here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-9NpTRQ5fY

All licensed child care centers are required to test for lead in their drinking and food preparation water. Licensed child care centers are sometimes located in a residence. These home-based centers may enroll up to 13 children and must meet the same licensing and sanitation requirements of all other licensed centers.

Religious sponsored centers that are subject to child care sanitation rules and are inspected by local health departments are included in the testing program.

Family child care homes may now enroll for free lead testing in NC with available grant funds. Family child care homes are licensed, but not as child care centers. They may enroll up to 8 children (depending on how many are related). These facilities are not inspected by most local health departments.

For more information on required testing, please view https://ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/Whats-New/new-rule-requires-testing-of-water-for-lead-contamination-at-child-care-centers.

You are required to test all sinks and taps used for drinking water and food preparation. This includes sinks used to fill up water bottles, supply water for formula mixing, and cook and prepare food. You are not required to test hand washing sinks or outdoor hoses unless children regularly drink from them.

Yes. Lead can enter your drinking water from a number of sources including city distribution pipes, privately owned piping, onsite plumbing, pipe solder, water coolers, and even sink faucets. In this program we've found centers where only one out of many sinks had lead, so it is important to test all sinks and taps used for drinking or cooking.

You can go to https://www.cleanwaterforcarolinakids.org/data then click "Search by Name or Address" and look for your center

If your center does not have any data, you did not participate in the program and will need to attend the webinar

If you know your center has participated, the webinar is not required and you can ignore that email and any future emails about the program

Facility Information
Inventory of drinking and cooking taps in your building
Brand of water filters and maintenance information, if applicable
Age of building
Year and types of renovations to plumbing, if applicable
Drinking water source (water utility or private well water)

Student enrollment information
Number of students enrolled
Grade or age range of students
Percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch
Race and ethnicities percentages of students
Summer school and fall schedule, if applicable
How the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted operations (current status)

No. Samples will be mailed in containers provided by RTI International as part of the Clean Water for Carolina Kids™ Program

If you have not yet enrolled or completed sampling in the Clean Water for Carolina Kids™ program, please register for one of the required webinars at this link: Register for a Webinar. They are offered a few times a week at different times.

Yes, if you have two separate child care center licenses at the same address, both must be enrolled. The testing areas for your pre-K program may vary from the after school program if the children are in separate locations. However, you can sign up each center on the same day on our portal at www.cleanwaterforcarolinakids.org and complete testing on the same day for each center, even if you receive two separate testing kits.

If you have a licensed after school program that is licensed as a child care center, then yes, you should enroll.

Yes. If your licensed child care center gets drinking water from it’s own well, then the center is considered a public water system and is required (by the Department of Environmental Quality) to test periodically for lead (and copper) under the federal EPA Lead & Copper Rule (LCR). However, public water systems don’t use the 3Ts methodology recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency to collect compliance samples for the LCR. For instance, they use larger sample bottles that aren’t designed to detect leaching from within each fixture. The LCR is designed to detect issues throughout the distribution system . The LCR sampling also does not match the requirements in the statewide rule for lead testing in child care centers and elementary schools with pre-Kindergarten Head Start programs. To ensure that you comply with the statewide testing rule, along with the EPA testing methods for schools and child care centers, you still must enroll in this testing program.

If your center is located in a public school, the public school will test the water at all drinking and cooking taps and the results will be shared with you. You do not need to enroll the child care separately.

After completing your enrollment, we will send you a box with the sampling kit in it along with written instructions on how to collect the sample. Instructional videos on when and how to collect your sample can also be found on the Clean Water for Carolina Kids™ website: https://www.cleanwaterforuskids.org/carolina/howto

Yes, we ask that you include this in your enrollment survey so that you can sample each source of drinking and cooking water that you use in your facility. You can add bottled water as a tap under the “Other” section at the end of the “Sample Collection” survey.

If you go back to the first section of the survey (Building Information), you will be required to re-enter information pertaining to your tap locations and classroom demographics. However, returning to other sections of the survey will not require data re-entry, though you will have to step through the following sections and questions again in order.

Yes. This program is new, with the State of North Carolina mandating testing following guidelines outlined in the newly released rule. Any prior testing conducted by your facility does not count for the requirements of this new rule. For more information on required testing, please view https://ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/Whats-New/new-rule-requires-testing-of-water-for-lead-contamination-at-child-care-centers

You can go to https://www.cleanwaterforcarolinakids.org/ to enroll your center. Once on the main page, click the blue “Enroll now” button to being the enrollment process. Next, click on “Child Care Center” under the “Select enrollment type” heading.

Your 6 digit secure enrollment PIN should appear on the middle of the enrollment email we sent you with the SUBJECT: “Required Child Care Lead Testing Update to Comply with 15A NCAC 18A .2816 - Please Enroll in the Clean Water for Carolina Kids™ Program to Complete Required 15A NCAC 18A .2816 Testing”

Once you enter your PIN, you can search for your child care center by name or address. Once you find it, select it in the dropdown list and hit the blue “Continue” button. If you cannot find it in the list, click “My child care center is not listed” to enter the information for your center then click the blue “Continue” button.

Once you login, we will lead you through an online enrollment portal to sign up. Follow the instructions to enter information about your center and the drinking/cooking water taps. We will send you update notifications at each step. After your enrollment is complete, we will send you an immediate confirmatory email notification. We will send you a follow-up email notification when your lead testing kit is shipped to your center. You will also receive written and video-based training and guidance.

If you are in a public school setting, with programs closed for the center due to regular summer closures or COVID-19, please wait to enroll until school reopens in the fall. The reason is that you may bias your sampling results if you sample while schools are closed. We want to ensure that you sample under typical conditions at the school while children are there during the week. Reduced operations are acceptable, but you should have some children present during normal weekday hours before you sign up for sampling.

Yes, you should list them on your enrollment survey and test them. If your water fountains are currently turned off because of COVID-19, you need to turn them back on, run them for 5 minutes the Friday before you sample, and then on Monday morning, collect a sample from them. Do not run them on the morning before you sample.

Flushing is the process of running water after it has been sitting in your pipes for a while. As water sits in pipes, it can pull lead and other metals from the pipes and fixtures it is sitting in. If your school or child care center has been closed for a prolonged period of time, you should probably flush your water before opening. A general rule of thumb is 15 minutes to 1 hour of flushing for long term closures such as for COVID-19 or summer vacation. 3 to 5 minutes after holiday closures, and 1-2 minutes for daily or weekend closures. You should flush all taps in your center when you do flush. You can learn more about flushing from the EPA 3Ts flushing guidance.

If you are currently closed due to COVID-19 or for another reason, please set a reminder to enroll ONCE your child care center resumes normal operations.

Yes, you should still enroll if your center is operating at reduced capacity. Any centers that are open are required to conduct the testing so that we may protect the health of the children that are currently attending the center.

We will send you a notification email to the email address that you enrolled in the program with, and you should find the box where packages are typically left. You will also see a notification email when the package has arrived.

Thank you for promptly enrolling in the program. We are still processing enrollments and generating sample kits and should send yours out soon. The program will remain open past the deadline to complete lead testing for schools and centers that were closed. IF you have completed your enrollment in the program, you are following the rule process. When we ship your sample kit, you will receive an email letting you know it is on its way and the UPS tracking information for the package.

When you complete your enrollment in the program, we generate and print out a shipping label to ship the sample kit to you and one for you to use to ship the kit back to us. Because we print these when you complete enrollment, it generates a tracking # and appears live on the UPS website. It is possible we haven’t shipped your kit yet because we had to wait for federal approval to begin the program. We are still processing test kits from early enrollment and should send yours out soon. When we do ship it, you will receive an email from us letting you know it is on its way.

You should open and check your sample box to confirm that you have:

• A water bottle for each drinking and cooking tap, in a large plastic zip bag
• A return mailing label with a zip bag
• A chain of custody document showing your sample locations.

Remember, you are using this box to return samples, so be careful with your box and hold onto your bubble wrap for your return shipment.

Check your chain of custody document to confirm the sample IDs are filled in correctly and coordinated with the bottles provided. For example, if the chain-of-custody says “kitchen sink,” a row of the chain of custody document should have a number label that matches with the bottle.

Once you confirm that your sample box is complete, you can read about how to collect water samples. If your sample box is not complete, contact staff at the Clean Water for Carolina Kids™ Program partnership at our contact page (https://www.cleanwaterforcarolinakids.org/contact) or via phone at 1-888-997-9290.

Put your physical address in the enrollment section. We will be sending your sampling kit in an 18" x 13" x 3" box through UPS to the physical address of your center. The sample kit box is too large to fit in a mailbox, so ideally UPS will deliver the package right to the doorstep of your center.

No, your test results may be biased if you flush water before testing. We want to test the water as it is currently used so we can identify what, if any, lead may be in the water for the children currently attending your center. If the state suspects that water was flushed prior to testing based on the test results, the state environmental health specialist will follow up with you on this matter your next child care sanitation inspection.

Lead levels in drinking water may vary throughout the day and are likely to be higher the longer water has been sitting, unused, in the pipes. For this reason, we recommend collecting water samples on a Monday morning before any water is used in the building. This is called “first-draw” sampling, and it is the method we are using because lead is most likely to be in drinking and cooking water after periods of inactivity. Since many facilities are not used over the weekend, and very few are used overnight, sampling early in the morning gives us a “high-end” scenario for lead at the tap on a weekly basis.

We understand that water at home-based child care programs is rarely unused over a weekend. At a minimum, “first-draw” samples must be collected after 8 hours of unuse, like overnight.

No. You need to sample when nobody has used water for at least eight hours (a “first-draw” sample). DO NOT flush water in the building prior to testing. You should complete all sampling before ANY water is used in the building, so make sure you have enough time.

The one exception to this is for water fountains or taps that are normally used for drinking or cooking, but have recently been unused for an extended period of time (for example if they were closed for use during the COVID pandemic). Unused drinking and cooking taps that are shut off or out-of-use should be flushed the Friday before you sample. Flush these taps at full flow for 1-2 minutes. DO NOT flush water on the sampling day.

Yes. To take a sample from an ice machine, fill the sample bottle with ice, directly from the ice machine, if possible. You can also use a non-metal scoop to place ice into the sample bottle. Avoid touching the ice with bare hands. Use of clean, new, disposable plastic gloves is acceptable. Let the ice melt, and then refill the bottle until it is filled to the neck of the bottle (i.e., the narrow part of the bottle where the bottom of the cap sits). Fill the bottle as full as you can get it and still securely close the lid.

Please visit our Guidance on Sampling Water Taps at Facilities document for more information on which taps and appliances to sample. For guidance on how to collect water samples from untraditional taps at your facility, please visit our Supplemental Water Sampling Instructions document.

Read the written instructions in the sample box, online here and check out our training videos the week before sampling here.

A child care administrator or another staff member at the child care center will collect the water samples. The person that enrolls in the program will fill out program information during enrollment, receive training videos and written instructions, and receive the test results. As such, the person that enrolled in the program and the email address associated with the online portal should ideally be from the person that will be completing the sampling. If you enrolled in the program but want another person to complete the water testing, you will need to ensure they view the training videos and read the written instructions provided in the sample box.

To collect a water sample:

First set a date to sample.

• Plan to sample on a Monday morning.
• Your center or school should be in normal operations (not temporarily closed due to COVID-19). It is acceptable if you are open with reduced operations.

Plan to sample using our support.

• Read the written instructions in the sample box and check out our training videos the week before sampling here: https://www.cleanwaterforcarolinakids.org/howto
• You need to sample when nobody has used water for eight hours (a “first-draw” sample). Let teachers and anyone else who comes in early know when you plan to sample and set an alarm to get there early.
• Do not flush or use any water at your Center prior to water sampling for at least 8 hours. Maintain normal water usage in the week leading up to sampling.
• Do NOT remove any aerators on your tap prior to collecting these samples.
• Do NOT close the shutoff valves on the pipes beneath the sinks.
• Do NOT allow someone in the building to start using water before you complete all sampling.
• If you come in to do the sampling and somebody has used water already, simply postpone your sampling until the next Monday. DO NOT flush water in the building prior to testing. You need to complete all sampling before ANY water is used in the building, so make sure you have enough time.

How to sample.

• You will sample in order of the rows on the chain of custody document. Start with the bottle that matches the first row of your chain of custody document. Do not wash your hands before you start - we need “first-draw” water samples. You can use hand sanitizer if you would like.
• Open the bottle carefully and pull the cap up; do not touch inside the cap or the bottle itself. (Note that these bottles differ slightly from the video on our website and your notification email).
• Turn the water on to a normal speed and fill the bottle, turning the water down as it gets to the top, stopping before it overflows. Close the bottle tightly.
• Repeat these steps for each sample, going in order of the chain of custody document.
• For water fountains, be careful, as you need to angle the bottle to try to get all of the water, and it may be different than you're expecting. If possible, the week before sampling, check the water fountain and see where the water typically hits and put a little mark there. If you don't get it in right away, that’s okay: just keep the bottle as full as you can. Don't pour it out and try again.

How to complete the chain-of-custody document.

• Fill in the date and the time on the chain of custody document for each sample and at the bottom. You've now completed your water sample collection.
• For information on how to ship your samples to the lab, check our other FAQs below.

If you have questions or comments on how to collect water samples, contact staff at the Clean Water for Carolina Kids™ Program partnership at our contact page (https://www.cleanwaterforcarolinakids.org/contact) or via phone at 1-888-997-9290.

No, your samples will expire after sitting in their bottle for more than 14 days. If you have collected your samples within the last 10 days, please send them to us ASAP to ensure we receive them before they expire. If it has been more than 10 days since you sampled and haven’t shipped them yet, please contact us at our contact page as we may need to send you a new sampling kit.

When we receive samples at the lab, we:

• Log the samples into our system
• Check to make sure the samples are in good condition, no water has leaked out from the caps, and the sample IDs match what’s on the chain of custody document
• Measure how much sediment is in the sample (turbidity) to see if we have to do any additional preparation before laboratory analysis
• Preserve the sample for up to six months by adding high purity nitric acid in a clean environment
• Let acidified samples sit at room temperature for at least 16 hours
• Check the sample pH to confirm stability
• Load the samples into the auto sampler for analysis.
  

Once analysis is completed, we’ll send your results via your online portal and a notification email or, if you don’t have email, by U.S. mail. With the results will be recommendations to improve your water quality based on the results.

Up to 18 bottles can fit in one test kit box. If you have more than 18 taps used for drinking or cooking, you may receive more than one box. Each box will contain its own Chain of Custody document that needs to be used and filled out.

There are four steps.

Step 1: Repack the Test Kit Box

• You will re-use the shipping box and two zipper bags that your test kit came in. Put the filled sample bottles back in the larger bag. Check to make sure each sample bottle is closed tightly first. Put six bottles in a row, then start another row, up to 18 bottles per bag. Zip the bag; if the bag is not full, fold it over to zip it up. Seal it well. Place the bag in the box.
• Put the chain of custody document in the smaller bag and seal it, so it doesn’t get wet. Place this bag in the box as well.
  

Step 2: Apply the Return Mailing Label

• Place the provided return UPS mailing label on the box, over the label from shipping the box to you. Close the box using strong shipping tape to thoroughly reseal the top flap before shipping.
  

Step 3: Schedule a UPS Pickup

• There's no charge for you to ship these samples to the lab: the return mailing label is prepaid.
• Schedule a pickup at UPS.com OR Call UPS at 1-800-742-5877 after 7am. If you schedule before 10am, UPS will come the same day. You do not need to drop off the package: if the website or phone system asks if you want help finding a UPS location where you can drop off your package, select No. You need to give UPS your phone number and the tracking number from the shipping. Write down the confirmation number.
  

Step 4: Take the Box Outside for Pickup

• Place the box where you typically leave packages for UPS pickup. A location in the shade is ideal.

Your samples will expire after sitting in their bottle for more than 14 days. If you have collected your samples within the last 10 days, please send them to us ASAP to ensure we receive them before they expire. If it has been more than 10 days since you sampled and haven’t shipped them yet, please contact us at our contact page as we may need to send you a new sampling kit.

Your laboratory results will be provided along with recommendations based on the concentration of lead in each sample. We recommend different actions depending on which of these categories your results fall into as shown in our illustration of recommended risk mitigation based on test results for each tap.
More information can be found in the Understanding the Results of Your Water Test section (pages 7-9) of our program instructions or in the "Risk Mitigation" section below.

1. You are required to share these test results in writing within five business days with parents and staff. You are welcome to share your results and recommendation results document to comply with the parent and staff notification rule.
   
2. Within five business days, you are required to post the test results publicly. Your results will be available on our public mapper HERE to comply with the state rule and federal grant. You are welcome to share this public mapper link to comply with the public notification rule.
   
3. We strongly recommend that you follow all of our risk mitigation recommendations for taps with detectable lead. Once you make recommended changes, please note which changes you have made for each sample location on our portal HERE. This is important for you to do and the public to see because we will post your risk mitigation measure next to the sample result on our public mapper.
   
4. For any samples containing lead at or above 10 ppb, immediately follow the steps on your results page to shut off the tap, post Do Not Use signage, and wait for mitigation support. Clean Classrooms for Carolina Kids™ will coordinate mitigation for any taps used for drinking or cooking that test above the state lead hazard level, as long as funding remains available.

When we have finished analyzing your water samples, you will receive an email notification informing you that your results are ready. You can view and print your results by signing into your account at https://www.cleanwaterforcarolinakids.org/auth/login Once you are logged in, click the “view results” button to see your results and recommended remediation actions. You can also save and print your center’s results. An example of how to do this is shown in this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn5h1ck1YcI&t=2s .

This is one of the No-Cost Clean Water Habits, and we encourage everyone to use these regardless of the lead level. This strategy can prevent exposure by designating taps and fountains that have tested lead-free as the outlets for drinking and cooking water, by proper signage and education of students and staff.

Because your initial samples were less than 10 parts per billion, additional sampling at this time is not covered with the current grant funds. We appreciate your dedication to ensuring that your children are drinking lead-free water, however, and would like to support your efforts to confirm whether your mitigation steps are effective in removing lead. To provide you additional results, we allow you to purchase a new test kit through your portal to test and report new values for specific taps that you would like to resample.

The facility should immediately provide alternative drinking water until follow-up samples are collected and appropriate risk mitigation steps are taken.

Step 1. Install Your Filter
Your filter should come with written or visual instructions for installation. Just follow those instructions and you’ll be on your way. Lots of filter makers also create videos that show you exactly how to install their filter on your sink. We’ve created a YouTube playlist of these videos. You can find those on our “NC Child” Clean Drinking Water YouTube channel “NC Child” HERE or by searching YouTube for your filter’s exact name and model number. It is also linked on our www.cleanwaterforcarolinakids.org portal HERE. You may need a plumber to install an under-counter (in-line) filter, unless you are handy with plumbing.

Step 2. Maintain Your Filter
NSF certified filters are a great way to keep your water as safe and clean as possible. But they only work properly if you maintain them properly!

• Change the filter cartridge on time. If you don’t, filters remove less and less unsafe substances like lead from your water. Lead and bacteria can even build up in an old filter cartridge, and then be released into your water, making your water less safe. So, be sure to change your filter following your manufacturer’s recommendations. Many filter devices include a light that tells you when the filter needs to be changed. How often you need to change the filter depends on how much water you’re using. That means that your main kitchen faucet may need to be replaced sooner than a secondary sink. Check your filter instructions to understand exactly when it’s time to replace your filter cartridge.
• Use only the brand-name replacement cartridges made by your manufacturer. Off-brand filter cartridges may not be certified to get the lead out. Cheaper replacement cartridges may seem like a good deal, but if they don’t work properly, you’re wasting your money.
• Flush some water through a newly installed filter cartridge to get it working. Each filter is different: some filter cartridges need as much as 10 gallons of water run through them before they’re ready to use. So read the instructions that come with your filter carefully.
• Use the filter exactly as instructed by the manufacturer. That usually means filtering only COLD water. Hot water can damage many types of filters.

This information can also be found in the How to Maintain a Water Filter section (page 18) of our program instructions.

The US Lead Contamination Control Act of 1988 mandated the repair, replacement, recall, and refund of drinking water coolers with lead-lined tanks. Lead-lined water coolers aren’t the only fountains that contain some lead in them, but the U.S. EPA states these typically cause the most elevated occurrence of lead in drinking water from a water cooler/fountain. A listing of lead lined water coolers (fountains) that have been recalled can be found HERE.

Results at or above 10 ppb
If you have a sample that is at or exceeds this level, place a “Do not use” sign and tape over the tap to ensure that no children or staff are using it.

Clean Classrooms for Carolina Kids™ will coordinate mitigation for any taps used for drinking or cooking that test above the state lead hazard level, as long as funding remains available. For more information on recommendations and mitigation, please visit our Mitigating Lead in Drinking and Cooking Water page.

Results at or above 5 ppb
For samples at or above 5 ppb, we strongly recommend low-cost solutions to remove lead or eliminate exposure. These include:

• Stop using the tap and designate another tap without detectable lead for drinking and cooking purposes.
• Install and maintain a water filter certified to remove lead.
• Flush water in the morning.

Results at or above 1 ppb
If your results are at or above 1 ppb, we recommend low-cost solutions to remove lead or avoid exposure. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that lead in water not exceed 1 ppb, since no level of lead is safe for children to be exposed to. Potential steps include:

• Stop using the tap and designate another tap without detectable lead for drinking and cooking purposes.
• Install and maintain a water filter certified to remove lead.
• Flush water in the morning.

Results below detection (0.1 ppb)
If your any results are below our laboratory detection limit that may mean there is no lead in your water, or that there is a very low level (less than 0.1 ppb). In all cases, we recommend practicing “clean water habits” for all water, including:

• Use only cold water for drinking or cooking. Don't start using hot water, even if you're going to boil it.
• Flush water at all taps used for drinking or cooking water for several minutes after holidays or weekends, or other times when the child care center is not in use. This clears out standing water in the pipes with fresh water.
• Contact a plumber promptly if you have a clog or decreased flow at a tap.

If you want to check for lead service lines on your property, you’ll need a metal tool, such as a screwdriver, and a magnet.
Step 1. Locate Where the Water Line Enters the Building
Typically, this is in the basement or lowest level. Look for the water meter and identify the inlet valve going into the building.

Step 2. Scratch off Rust or Corrosion on the Outside of the Pipe
Find a place to examine and use the metal tool to scrape off any rust or corrosion. If there is a covering around the pipe, uncover or unwrap the pipe first.

Step 3. See if the Magnet Sticks to the Pipe
If the magnet sticks, the pipes must be galvanized steel, which is typically a dull gray. Galvanized steel pipes can be a source of lead, especially if the galvanized steel pipes are downstream of leaded components in the distribution system of your public water supply.

Step 4. If the Magnet Does Not Stick, Check the Color of the Pipe If the magnet does not stick, the pipes must be lead or copper. You can distinguish between these by the color (both are typically shiny):

• Lead pipe is silver or gray
• Copper pipe is the color of a penny

If you are not comfortable completing these steps or suspect you have lead or galvanized steel pipes, we suggest you consult a plumber for verification. See https://www.lslr-collaborative.org/identifying-service-line-material.html for more information and sample photos.

This information can also be found in the How to Check for Lead and Galvanized Steel Service Lines section (page 21) of our program instructions.

Bottled water is expensive and creates a large amount of recycling or trash. Therefore, we do NOT recommend bottled water as a permanent solution.

Doing the Math on Bottled Water: Bottled water costs about $1.50/gallon. Maintaining a filter costs about $0.10/gallon. A child care center that serves 50 children uses about 4,700 gallons of drinking water a year. Choosing a filter instead of bottled water would save that center over $6,000 a year: that would more than pay off the investment of buying a filter system several times over!

Sinks, faucets, and plumbing fixtures sometimes contain significant amounts of lead. If your faucet is the source of the lead in your water, you have two options:

• Install a faucet-mounted or counter-top filter. Keep in mind these do NOT fit sinks that have a drop-down nozzle.
• Replace the faucet itself with a new stainless steel faucet.

Replacing a faucet may sound complicated, but it’s actually pretty straightforward. If you are somewhat handy, you can replace a faucet yourself. If not, you may want to get a plumber or handyman to do the job. The faucet you choose will come with written instructions. Many manufacturers also make videos to help you. On our NC Child YouTube channel, we’ve created a video playlist of faucet replacement guides. If you don’t find your brand of faucet on our playlist, search YouTube for the specific manufacturer brand name and model number of your new faucet. General instructions for replacing a faucet are:

Step 1. Assemble the Tools You’ll Need:

• A light for under the sink
• An adjustable wrench
• WD-40 or another penetration oil spray.
• You may also need a wire brush and a hair dryer

Step 2. Shut Off Your Water
You can find the on/off valves in the cabinet below the sink. Use your fingers to twist the hot water AND cold water supply lines to the “off” position. Sometimes those valves can get stuck or rusted, which can make them almost impossible to budge. If that happens to you, get a hair dryer and apply some heat to the valve. That should loosen the valve enough that you can close it by hand. Don’t use tools like wrenches to try to close the valve: if you put too much twisting pressure on it, it could break. If you’re still having trouble, shut off the building’s main water valve before you go any further.

Step 3. Remove the Old Faucet
Removing the old faucet is often the trickiest part of the process. The space under the sink is often narrow and dark. You’ll need a work light, and an adjustable wrench to loosen the nuts. The nuts can often be stuck or rusted. Try brushing away as much corrosion as possible with a wire brush. Then spray on some WD-40. That will help dissolve the corrosion and make the nuts easier to turn. If you’re still having trouble loosening the nuts, it may be time to call a licensed professional.

Step 4. Install the New Faucet
Once the old faucet is out, installing the new faucet is the easy part. Follow the video or written instructions that come with your new faucet to learn how to install it. It includes flushing the water before use.

Once the new faucet is installed, you will want to have follow-up water testing done to be sure the new faucet has eliminated the lead from your water.

This information can also be found in the How to Replace Your Faucet section (pages 19-20) of our program instructions.

If you have tested and found lead in your water, you may think you need to replace all the plumbing, or rush to buy a stockpile of bottled water. Both of those steps would be expensive, and probably unnecessary. Water filters are an effective and low-cost way to get lead and other contaminants out of your water in most cases, as long as you maintain them properly. Check out our filter flyer or our filter informational videos for more information.

There are a lot of water filter options out there, so finding the right filter for your tap can seem overwhelming. The most important thing is that whatever filter you choose, it must be certified to remove lead specifically. How do you know? The filter will have an “NSF” seal on it and the filter package will specifically say that it is capable of removing lead. If it’s not NSF-certified, don’t buy it.

Three basic types of certified filters are suitable for a child care center: faucet-mounted, countertop, and under-counter (or in-line) filters. Each of these types has its pros and cons, described below. In addition, if you have a water fountain containing lead, it should be replaced with an NSF-certified fountain if at all possible, but there are also options for filters that are compatible with water fountains.

You may notice that pitcher filters are missing from this list. Most pitcher filters cannot filter out lead, and even the very few that can are probably too small to meet the needs of a child care center. They are also the most expensive to maintain, as the filters have a very short service life. We do NOT recommend pitcher-style filters for a child care setting. You can shop for water filters at your local hardware or home improvement store, or on Amazon.

Faucet-Mount and Countertop Filters. Faucet-mount and countertop filters are designed to be the last bit of plumbing in contact with the water before you drink it. This makes them ideal for removing lead, because they work no matter where in the plumbing system the lead comes from. Faucet-mount and countertop filters are also affordable, with initial purchase costs of $20–$30 (faucet mounted) or $100–$500 (countertop) and maintenance costs (for replacement filters) of 10–15 cents per gallon. However, these filter types will NOT work if you have a pull-down nozzle on your faucet.

Under-Counter Filters (also called In-Line Filters). Under counter filters tend to be more expensive up-front ($50–$500) but less expensive to maintain (under 10 cents per gallon). They work with any type of faucet, but they also will NOT remove lead that’s coming from the faucet itself. Many plumbing fixtures and faucets made before 2014 still contain significant amounts of lead, so if you choose an under-counter filter, we strongly recommend that you also put in a new faucet to ensure that you get rid of ALL potential sources of lead.

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If you have not completed the testing, the center will receive a 6-point sanitation demerit and be placed in provisional status.

A state or local environmental health specialist will visit your child care facility in two instances:

1. When you have a test result with lead at or above 10 parts per billion, the official will visit to retest the tap after you have taken mitigation action. They will follow up with the additional results, and help any additional recommendations needed.
2. At your routine child care sanitation inspections, you will need to show documentation of compliance with this program.

Lead is possibly the most notorious toxic chemical in history, and it’s still in kids’ environments. Lead is toxic to the brain and the nervous system even at very low levels of exposure. Infants and young children are especially sensitive to chemicals like lead in their environments, and lead exposure in children is associated with learning disabilities, behavioral issues, and lower IQs. These effects can be permanent.

If you run a child care center or send your kids to one, regardless of the building’s age, it’s really important to make sure that the building and the drinking water are free from lead. At childcare centers, potential sources of lead exposure include old paint, drinking and cooking water, and imported toys and other manufactured products.

This program is different from the testing usually done by public water systems in several important respects, including the goals of the testing, how many locations are sampled, and the volume of the samples collected.

1. Goals of the testing.
   The goal of the Clean Water for Carolina Kids™ testing is to detect specific locations in a building where there may be a health risk from lead in water, and provide recommendations for action. The lead testing usually done by a public water system is only intended to check on the operations of the water system as a whole. This information is used by the water utility to adjust aspects of the water treatment to make sure the water isn’t too corrosive.
   
   The water testing done through the Clean Water for Carolina Kids™ program is based on the EPA’s guidance specifically designed for schools (3Ts for Reducing Lead in Drinking Water in Schools and Child Care Facilities).
   
2. Number of locations sampled.
   Public water systems are only required to test a small selection of taps across the water system. Even when water system testing results are in compliance, the EPA still recommends testing all drinking and cooking taps for lead at schools and child care centers, because lead levels can vary from tap to tap, even within the same building.
   
3. Volume of the samples collected.
   Public water systems collect 4 times more water during lead sampling than the EPA’s recommendations for lead sampling in schools. The Clean Water for Carolina Kids™ program follows the EPA’s guidance for schools and collects samples in 250 milliliter bottles, or about 1 cup of water. This is important when trying to find specific taps in a building that may have a lead problem, because a bigger volume will mix water from a longer section of the pipes and can make it harder to know where the lead is coming from.

Information about the amendment to Rule 15A NCAC 18A .2816 (water lead testing in licensed child care centers) can be found HERE.

The state FAQ for amendment to Rule 15A NCAC 18A .2816 (water lead testing in licensed child care centers) can be found here: State FAQ.

If your question is not addressed in this FAQ you can contact staff at the Clean Water for Carolina Kids™ Program partnership at our contact page: CONTACT PAGE or via phone at 1-888-997-9290. This contact support page will route your questions and comments to program staff, including directors Mr. Ed Norman at the NC Division of Public Health and Ms. Jennifer Hoponick Redmon of RTI International.

The first step is to enroll in our program using our website portal. We will ship you a test kit. You will learn how to test your own water using our clear written instructions sent in your test kit or the training videos online here: on YouTube or on our portal. After you collect water samples at your child care center as a citizen scientist, you will ship them back using a pre-paid label (written and video instructions on how). At the lab, we will analyze the water to see if it contains lead and, if so, how much. We will subsequently share your test results with you to your email. If there is lead, there are straightforward, cost-effective steps to eliminate exposure. You can designate “one clean tap,” use water filters, and replace old plumbing fixtures. Boiling water does NOT remove lead or prevent lead exposures. Taking recommended steps to get lead out of your drinking water can ensure that your water lead levels get down to almost zero.

You can scroll down the main page at https://www.cleanwaterforcarolinakids.org and also read our About section here.

The Program is a partnership between RTI International, the NC Division of Public Health, and the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education. Please do not respond to or collect water samples from other companies claiming to be part of the new lead testing program - they are not part of this program and are not funded to provide you with complimentary lead testing and support. If you receive confusing Information from another company, please provide us the information (https://www.cleanwaterforcarolinakids.org/contact).

This program focuses on testing and getting rid of lead in drinking and cooking water.

On September 30, 2019, the North Carolina Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program sent an email noting that an amendment to child care sanitation rule 15A NCAC 18A .2816 was adopted and approved with an October 1, 2019 effective date. To comply with the new rule, all licensed child care centers in North Carolina must test all drinking water faucets and food preparation sinks for lead contamination. Federal grant funds are now secured to cover the costs of testing all licensed child care centers and elementary schools with pre-Kindergarten Head Start programs within this timeframe.

Yes, programs like pre-K programs located in a school must test the kitchen sinks in their building and any other sinks or equipment that provide water for drinking, food preparation or cooking.

Yes, if the testing was conducted within the last three years.

General comment on the addendum sheet the first time, followed by a 6-point demerit on subsequent inspections if sampling has not been conducted.

Water testing results from the catering location do not apply to sanitation inspections at centers catered to. All licensed child care centers are required to have a kitchen even if they have all of their food catered, because they have to be able to prepare a meal in the event that a child forgets to bring lunch or spills it on the floor. That food preparation/kitchen sink should be tested, even if food is catered from another location.

Facility operators can notify parents or guardians using resources available in EPA 3Ts Guidance Module 1: Communicating the 3Ts HERE. The federal grant requires us to post your results publicly on our public mapper. You may share the link with parents and staff. We also provide you with the opportunity to list mitigation efforts and complete additional testing to show that mitigation is working.

Sampling locations will be determined based on information provided during the electronic enrollment process. However, if during a sanitation inspection the local EHS identifies additional faucets used for drinking water or food preparation, those faucets will also need to be tested.

The center will immediately need to provide alternative drinking water until mitigated. Filtration at each point of use is usually the least expensive remediation option.

The EPA 3Ts Guidance must be followed for initial and follow-up water sampling. An 8-hour stagnation period is required.

Faucets used for drinking water and food preparation that are part of the licensed child care center must be tested.

Periodic sampling is required every 3 years.

Up to six months; however, alternative drinking water will need to be provided until the problem has been mitigated.

Pursuant to Sanitation Rule 15A NCAC 18A .2816(b)(3), all child care centers were required to have the drinking water tested for lead poisoning hazards by October 1, 2020. Due to COVID-19 and a funding delay, the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) delayed implementation of demerits for violations of this rule. The North Carolina Division of Child Development & Early Education (DCDEE) is aware that not all providers were aware of this requirement and many have not completed this water testing. As a result, providers may begin to see provisional and disapproved sanitation classifications being issued for noncompliance. Until October 1, 2021, however, DCDEE is offering flexibility and will not issue an administrative action in response to a provisional or disapproved sanitation inspection classification, so long as the classification is only due to noncompliance with 15A NCAC 18A .2816(b)(3). Instead, for any provisional/disapproved sanitation classification that is issued before October 1, 2021, for not completing the water testing, DCDEE will give a provider 45 days from the issuance of the provisional classification to complete the water testing. If a provider does not comply within the additional time provided or if the sanitation classification is issued due to violations not related to, or in addition to, 15A NCAC 18A .2816, DCDEE will proceed under its current policies and procedures to issue an administrative action for noncompliance with the Sanitation Rules. All child care centers are encouraged to take immediate action to meet this requirement. To take advantage of federal funding to meet this requirement, please sign up for a required webinar using this link. Additional information is available at The Clean Water for Carolina Kids™ Webpage.

The operator will need to work with their environmental health specialist to develop a testing procedure that will meet the 3Ts protocol. If you are not sure who your environmental health specialist is, you can use our program contact page and we will put you in touch with them.

All licensed child care centers regardless of age are required to test. Any family child care home that wishes to have their water tested can enroll.

Yes, if the steamer is used for preparation of foods consumed by children.

Yes. EPA 3Ts Guidance must be followed, which requires first draw samples with a minimum 8 hours stagnation. This program recommends a 72 hour stagnation period and sampling on a Monday morning.

Both will be provided during the enrollment process by the contract laboratory, RTI International, through the Clean Water for Carolina Kids™ Program.

Methods and training are provided on how to sample by RTI International through this program. Epidemiologists will review sampling data and look for patterns in the data. Additional sampling may be conducted by regional environmental health specialists at a random sample of centers that have no reported elevations.

A facility can use a newspaper or social media. You can find communication resources in the EPA 3Ts Guidance Module 1: Communicating the 3Ts HERE.