Updated April 29: DCPS received results on April 28 after testing discolored water at Martin King Jr. Elementary, and “the water is free of all contaminants and can be consumed,” according to DCPS spokesperson Michille Lerner.

Original:This post has been updated with a comment from DC Water.

Staff and students at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Congress Heights are receiving bottled water as officials address “sediment” found in the school’s drinking water. Trayon White, a candidate for the Ward 8 seat on the D.C. City Council, posted on Twitter yesterday a discolored cup of water from the school in his home ward.

According to a statement by Michelle Lerner of DCPS, the Department of General Services received a call about low water pressure at the school on Friday, which they restored that evening.

But over the weekend, school officials noticed a discoloration of the water, causing DGS to flush the system on Sunday. After the discoloration persisted on Monday, DGS flushed the system again. That afternoon, the water ran clear, according to the statement, but water filters were installed.

Students will continue drinking bottled water until DCPS receives lab results saying the water is clear. And parents have been notified consistently throughout the process.

Lerner also says that the discoloration is “a city water issue” as opposed to school based, which is why the Department of General Services and the DC Water and Sewer Authority have been involved. When DC Water was asked about the school’s “ice tea looking water” on Twitter, they initially deferred to a statement by DCPS that says sediment was found in the water, and samples were sent to a lab for results. Later, they confirmed that they were flushing water mains near the school, “which likely stirred up sediment in pipes.”

This comes on the heels of a recent announcement that elevated lead levels were found in the water at a dozen schools.

“DGS has committed to re-test all water sources in DC Public Schools. We are working with them to ensure these tests occur as soon as possible,” DCPS’ chief operating officer Nathaniel Beers said in an April 22 letter to parents.

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