"BILLINGS, Mont. — Of the Montana schools that have met the state’s program deadline, most show high levels of lead in school drinking water.

In early 2020, the state of Montana for the first time required all public schools to test their drinking water for lead. Schools were given until December 31 of this year to take initial samples.

Now, with two weeks to go before the deadline, 136 schools — only about a quarter — have sent in samples and, of those, 125 have had at least one fixture exceed the state action level for lead, Yellowstone Public Radio reported.

Billings Superintendent Greg Upham all 32 schools in Montana’s largest district have submitted their water samples for lab testing."

Kayla Desroches reports for the Associated Press December 23, 2021. [2]