While the city Department of Education has made progress in eliminating lead in school drinking fountains and faucets, more than 1,100 such fixtures still have lead levels greater than the 15 ppb threshold that the Environmental Protection Agency allows. Of the 142,411 water fixtures, which include drinking fountains, bathroom faucets and sinks used for cooking or washing dishes, 12,457 tested positive for high levels of lead in 2016 and 2017, according to The New York Times.

Ninety-one percent of these contaminated water fixtures have been repaired, according to official figures. Of the rest, about 730 fixtures are not used for cooking or drinking and have signs saying they should be used for hand-washing only, the Times reported. The issue of high lead levels in water was brought to the forefront by the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

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