State Lawmakers Mull $27M Plan To Install Water Filters In Schools And Day Care Centers

(CBS4) - Some state lawmakers are calling for water filtration systems in every public school and more than 4,700 child care centers statewide. It comes after a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics found 72% of kids in Colorado have lead in their blood -- one of the highest percentages in the country.

"We know this can lead to learning developmental and behavioral problems," says Rep. Emily Sirota, who is sponsoring a bill with Rep. Barbara McLauchlin, and Senators Rhonda Fields and Faith Winter, that would require water testing and filtration systems at every child care facility and public school in the state -- at a cost of about $27 million.

Sen. Winter says Congress has already approved the funding.

"We know school districts have an incredible amount on their plates right now, dealing with the pandemic teacher and staff shortages, which is why we don't want this be an additional burden."

Rachel Lehman, who has a teenage daughter, argues clean water shouldn't be a luxury. She installed a water filter at home but worries about the water her daughter drinks at school.

"It just kind of keeps you up at night, to be honest with you."

Denver Public School District partnered with Denver Water five years ago to test the water in schools and install filters on every drinking fountain.

The federal money would cover filtration systems in other schools and day cares, but the state may be on the hook for replacement filters and testing each year -- at a cost of nearly $13 million.

Lehman suggests it's a small price to pay for clean water, saying, "I don't see why this is even an issue."