By Ken Valenti

WESTPORT–When Staples High School seniors Sahil Vora and Ignacy Nieweglowski offered to test water for lead content recently, they were pleasantly surprised to see how many Westporters took to the idea.

“More than 100 residents came by throughout the morning, including families, couples, and individual residents from around Westport,” Vora said in an email after he and his partner performed the tests from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday at the high school.  “We even had a line forming right when the event opened, which was really exciting to see.”

The residents brought samples of water they had drawn from their home faucets after refraining from running any water in their houses for at least 8 hours – generally overnight – Sahil said. 

The two students used eXact Leadquick digital water-testing meters from Industrial Test Systems/SenSaf, which provided readings within minutes, Vora said. The system is designed to screen with an accuracy within 3 parts per billion (ppb).

“(W)e were careful to explain that any concerning result should be confirmed through a certified laboratory before conclusions are made,” Vora wrote. “Fortunately, none of the samples we screened showed concerning lead levels.”

Vora and Nieweglowski have made it their mission to raise awareness of lead in water, winning a Presidential Environmental Youth Award earlier this year for their Lead Watch program, which includes a website for people across the country to report and track instances of lead in water.

Noah Systems of Chicago, which has partnered with the two Staples students, donated one of its automatic flushing systems, valued at approximately $500, to be raffled off, Vora said. The system flushes a household’s water automatically to prevent lead buildup in pipes.

“We’re extremely grateful to NOAH, SenSafe, and SimpleLab that have supported LeadWatch and helped us make events like this possible,” Vora wrote. “And of course, we also want to thank Principal (Stafford) Thomas (Jr.) and (Director of Facilities Ted) Hunyadi for helping us coordinate the event, providing access to the school and setting up resources and supporting our broader efforts to expand water testing across Westport.”

Ken Valenti

^{_{A career journalist and lifelong resident of the New York City region, Ken Valenti has enjoyed decades of reporting local, regional and national news in New York and Connecticut. Topics of special interest are development, the environment, Long Island Sound and transportation. When not reporting, he’s always on the lookout for the perfect coffee shop or used book sale.}}