School District Water Quality Testing

Specialty Consulting, Inc. (SPC) conducted extensive water quality testing for over 400 Chicago Public Schools (CPS) in 2016 and 2017. Collaborating with the CPS Board and regulatory agencies, SPC developed a comprehensive sampling strategy and schedule, ultimately collecting over 25,000 water samples during the project.

SPC's responsibilities included implementing a detailed Drinking Water Quality Testing plan, which outlined the health and safety protocols for personnel conducting water sampling and testing. The company subcontracted IDPH-certified laboratories for lead testing in the water samples. Samples were taken from all potable water sources, such as drinking fountains, kitchen outlets, and pre-K/KG classroom wash sinks, specifically focusing on drinking or food preparation sources. Each water source was tested with five sequential 250mL samples, totaling 1.25 liters per source.

SPC completed a detailed data collection form, plumbing questionnaire, and marked-up diagrams of water source sampling locations for each school. They also collected photos and uploaded lab test results into a shared drive upon receipt. All sampling was conducted early in the morning to ensure the water system had not been flushed or used in the previous 8-14 hours. Finally, all data was uploaded into the CPS Water Quality Database.

SPC successfully completed this large-scale, high-visibility project on time and within budget, ensuring the health and safety of CPS students. This achievement was made possible by the dedication of SPC's management, the availability of a highly skilled workforce, and years of experience handling challenging projects.