Byline: Joel Grover, Matthew Goldberg; 2008-04-24; KNBC - Los Angeles;
Report: Watchdogs in the Public Interest
"The U.S. EPA says drinking water is unsafe if it has 15 parts per billion of lead or more. At Marvin Elementary, one fountain KNBC tested had 32 parts per billion. . . . "
Description:From the 2009 IRE investigative award citation: "Joel Grover and Matt Goldberg embarked on an exhaustive investigation after getting a tip from a parent that students were told not to drink from a Los Angeles elementary school's water fountain because it contained lead. To see if the problem was widespread, the journalists tested the water at numerous LA schools and found lead levels higher than the EPA standard. The reporters also went undercover for days to capture janitors falsifying records saying they had flushed fountains daily to protect children from lead exposure. The explosive 8-month investigation set off a firestorm and held school officials accountable for breaking promisees time and time again. The results: The district tested the water at all schools and replaced lead pipes to provide safe drinking water for children."
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