Clean Drinking Water

The state of Minnesota requires all public schools to complete testing for lead in drinking water. While the major source of lead exposure in most Minnesota children is paint, lead in plumbing fixtures and background levels from Municipal Water Supplies can add to a person’s overall exposure. Drinking water in schools and homes may contain lead from old lead pipes, plumbing fixtures such as fountains and faucets, or solder that joins pipe sections together.

As required by the State of Minnesota and as part of our commitment to facility safety and maintenance, Prodeo Academy is following the requirements of Minn. Stat 121A.335 and Minnesota Department of Health guidance which includes sampling for the presence of lead in drinking water in all of our school buildings.

Initial samples were taken at drinking water sources at the Prodeo Academy Saint Paul campus on June 6, 2025. Of the drinking water sources tested, three had initial results that were at or above the prescribed limit of 5 parts per billion (ppb). Two of these fixtures are located in a vacant building on the campus that is not accessible to students. The third fixture is a drinking fountain located on the 3rd floor of the middle school and was taken out of service after Prodeo received the test results. This drinking fountain will remain out of service until remediation and re-testing has been completed. Detailed testing results are available upon request from the school office. 

Our Columbia Heights campus, built in 2020, did not have any lead containing pipes or drinking water fixtures used in its construction, and the City of Columbia Heights does not report any lead issues in the water supplied to the school. We will conduct testing at the Columbia Heights campus during the 25-26 school year.