Drinking Water in Schools & Child Care Facilities

This one-stop EPA site provides information about drinking water quality in schools and child care facilities.  Ensuring drinking water quality at these facilities is important because that’s where children spend their day, and they are likely to drink water while they are there. Consuming enough fluids on a daily basis is important for children’s health. Water is a great choice because:

• it doesn't contain the calories, caffeine, or sugar that may be found in other beverages, and
• it helps nearly every part of the human body function efficiently.

The current focus of this page is on lead in drinking water in schools and child care facilities.  However, this page will be updated over time to address other issues associated with drinking water quality in these facilities.  This website will provide you with information about the sources of lead in drinking water, guidance materials to assist with testing for lead in drinking water, and information on the laws and regulations concerning lead in drinking water.

Use the links below or on the sidebar to find out more about drinking water quality in schools and child care facilities.

• Basic Information - Learn more about the sources and factors contributing to lead in drinking water.
• Laws and Regulations - Find out about the various laws and regulations for controlling Lead in Drinking Water.
• Guidance & Tools - Take a look at the information and materials designed to assist schools and child care facilities with assessing lead in drinking water.
• Health Effects - Lead exposure can pose a serious health risk for infants and children.
• Partners - Learn about other federal agencies and organizations efforts to work collaboratively with EPA to reduce children's exposure to lead in drinking water.
• Related Links - Information about healthy school environments, lead poisoning prevention and more.