May 6, 2024: Ensuring safe school environments is a top priority for Tacoma Public Schools. We were recently made aware of water discoloration in the Birney Elementary round building. (There have been no concerns about the water at the main building.) We know that as a parent or staff member, learning about water quality issues at your school is concerning. We take these concerns very seriously and have since walked through the multiple steps needed to determine the root of the issue and identify the strategies needed to address the water discoloration in the round building.

On April 1, TPS provided water samples from a variety of fixtures in the round building to a certified third-party lab for analysis. Results were received on April 23, showing elevated levels of iron and manganese in the water from some of the fixtures in the round building.

The Washington State Department of Health said the discoloration is most likely caused by plumbing specific to the round building. DOH advised us to take additional samples and to begin a flushing protocol, which our maintenance team is conducting. The new samples, taken on April 25, have been sent to the certified third-party laboratory for analysis, and results are expected in four to five weeks. Update 05/20/24: results from April 25 testing have been received and all samples meet water quality standards, no iron or manganese were detected.

The school district is doing the following:

• Supplying water and hand sanitizer to students and staff
• Providing filtered water coolers in the classrooms being used in the round building.
• Replacing all the plumbing in the round building. We will start the replacement work once we secure a vendor.
  • Update 05/08/24: The contract has been approved and work will begin the week of May 13. Work will take place after school hours and should conclude by the end of May.
  • Update 06/06/24: All plumbing has been replaced and contractors are completing the final step of wrapping pipes which will be complete by the end of the week. 
• Requesting that Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU) connect us to a newer water main. 
  • Update 05/08/24: After consultation with TPU we have a clearer understanding of the water system on the Birney campus. Connection to a newer main is not necessary. However, TPS will replace the service pipe from the meter to the round building. Replacement of the building plumbing and the service pipe should resolve the water discoloration issue.

Background:

The Birney Elementary campus includes three buildings; the new main building, which opened in 2020; the old Birney, opened in 1962, which is currently used for storage; and the Birney round building, also opened in 1962. The round building has been used for community activities since 2020 and for classroom activities since November.

Birney Elementary serves 523 students and is a regional site for deaf and hard-of-hearing programming. In November 2023, three first-grade classrooms were moved to the Birney round building to alleviate overcrowding in the main building.

When water discoloration was first noticed in February, Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU) had just started conducting water flushing in the area, which led us to believe that the discoloration may be temporary. Discoloration often is the result of flushing and usually resolves itself quickly. The flushing concluded in March.

On April 11 the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department conducted a visual assessment for turbidity and discoloration, no violations were reported.

Detailed results (Updated 05/20/24):

Please note these results do not reflect the State Department of Health’s specific protocol for drawing water samples to test for secondary contaminants. Out of an abundance of caution, TPS drew these early samples using a different testing protocol when we received reports of discolored water; at that time, we thought this was the correct protocol. DOH advised TPS to re-sample the water, and a second set of correctly drawn samples was taken on April 25. Those samples have been sent to the certified third-party laboratory for analysis, and results are expected in four to five weeks.

Supplemental Information from the Department of Health:

• Manganese is a naturally occurring mineral in water. Small amounts are essential nutrients for people. Too much can be harmful, especially for infants.  
• Manganese is not easily absorbed through the skin. No known health concerns from bathing/washing in water with high levels of manganese. People concerned should talk to their healthcare provider.  

No information on the impacts of iron in drinking water was available on the DOH site.