The School District of Philadelphia (District) in Pennsylvania is required to protect students from lead in drinking water through a comprehensive Water Testing Management Program. In accordance with City of Philadelphia Bill No. 160618, every drinking water outlet across more than 300 school facilities must be tested for lead on a 5-year cycle. Results must be reported to the city and made publicly available on the District’s website to ensure transparency and public trust.

Scope of Services

Terraphase supported the District in addressing the complex logistical and data management challenges associated with testing thousands of drinking water outlets. To streamline the process, Terraphase developed a custom electronic field data collection tool that allows for digital reporting of field observations, photos, and notes; automation of sample tracking and chains of custody; and integration of corrective action tracking. The system ensures rapid, accurate reporting of lead exceedances (above the 10 parts per billion action level), automates stakeholder notifications, and facilitates regulatory reporting through dashboards and automated alerts.

The tool is integrated with the District’s enterprise database, enabling real-time collaboration on corrective action decisions and tracking of program milestones. It also provides redundancy through lab and database exceedance alerts and supports transparent communication strategies with school staff, parents, and other stakeholders.

Sampling is ongoing at District facilities citywide. As initial samples are collected and analyzed, the project team concurrently manages outlet shutoff confirmations and follow-up actions for lead action level exceedances. All activities are documented in real time within the program database. Weekly and quarterly reports are generated to keep the client and key stakeholders informed.

Notable Accomplishments

• Designed and implemented a custom digital field data collection tool for 300+ school facilities
• Automated chains of custody, corrective action tracking, and regulatory reporting
• Integrated real-time alerts and dashboards for program transparency and efficiency
• Enabled seamless communication with stakeholders and parents regarding lead exceedances
• Helped maintain program schedule and ensure no risks were overlooked