Lead pipes were banned in the United States in 1986. But dozens of Inland Empire school districts still had lead showing up in their drinking water in the past decade. California published its final report on lead in school drinking water in 2020. At that time, 18 of the Inland Empire’s four dozen districts and other education agencies had lead in campus drinking fountains or sinks, according to the State Water Resources Control Board’s last listing. … After testing, all these districts fixed the problems by replacing pipes, shutting off drinking fountains and adding filters to sinks. Still, many Inland students in recent years likely drank water with lead levels higher than the recommended standard.