Lead, once a common, critical part of water infrastructure, has a lasting legacy town officials learned in the wake of state testing that found elevated levels of the element in public schools.

“Pure lead was used in service lines because it was very valuable,” says Wareham Water Department Superintendent Andrew Reid. “It could be twisted and turned to keep a system watertight.”

Reid said the high lead levels recently found in local schools should be cause for concern, not alarm. After looking at the data Reid said Wareham fared well compared to other towns.

“I was glad to not see any lead levels that were egregious,” said Reid.

As lead’s health dangers came to light, the federal government took steps to reduce its levels in drinking water with regulations passed in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Of particular concern, Reid said, was finding buildings where lead had been used to solder pipes together.

The state’s renewed focus on lead in water was partly kickstarted following news of Flint, Michigan’s water crisis, Reid believes. In 2014, Flint’s drinking water was found to have dangerous amounts of lead and other chemicals, prompting a public health crisis that city officials are still trying to mitigate.

“After the news from Flint came out a lot of states took a really hard look at lead and copper compliance and what was being done,” said Reid. “Since lead affects young people the most it would make sense to focus on schools.”

Reid noted that the problem is shared among schools across the state and local officials are taking the right steps, which include flushing problem fixtures and shutting down others.

“Corrosion is common in pipes, the longer the water is contact with the metal, you’re going to see those levels go up. It’s always a good idea to flush them out and make sure those metals don’t accumulate over time,” said Reid. “Officials are being very proactive.”