Nearly four decades after the clean water act was passed drinking water at thousands of schools across the country has been found to contain lead, pesticides, arsenic, and other toxins.

Not surprisingly, schools that have their own wells are the ones with the most apparent contamination; however it’s a widespread issue affecting schools in all 50 states. It’s also affecting both private and public schools in cities and small towns alike.

But the problem has gone largely unmonitored by the federal government, even as the number of water safety violations has multiplied.

Marc Edwards, an engineer at Virginia Tech who has been honored for his work on water quality, calls it an outrage but also points out that there is no system to “make people follow the rules and keep school children safe”.

Not really encouraging. Nor is the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) assertion that the number of violations rose sharply over the last decade due to the government adopting stricter standards for contaminant such as arsenic and other disinfectants. Considering the risks posed, shouldn’t these standards be in place?  And enforced? But who is to answer? The EPA doesn’t have the authority to require testing for all schools and can only provide guidance on environmental practices. And they’ve also acknowledged that their database is rift with errors and omissions.

Currently experts complain that the responsibility for this issue is spread among too many local, state and federal agencies and generally risks are going unreported. Without a streamlined process or a clear answer on where the responsibility lies there’s a good chance this problem will become the proverbial worse before it gets better. Not to mention it requires funding not readily available in an already cash strapped environment.

In California, the Department of Public Health has given out more than $4 million in recent years to help districts overhaul their water systems. Yet schools in small farm towns still aren’t able to fix their chronic water problems and funding is now frozen.

One such school has signs posted warning students not to drink from the tap because the water has been found to be tainted with a potential carcinogen and with a pesticide linked to male sterility.

But with all the talk there has to be answers. This can’t be another issue that gets bogged down in politics with blame being passed from agency to agency. Children are experiencing very real health related issues due to tainted water and they deserve more than lip service. Your state’s Department of Health is a good place to start.