Fertilizer is used on some farms surrounding the school property. As a result, an unsafe level of nitrate, one of the chemical ingredients used in fertilizer, has seeped into the groundwater; local investigations have found that water from the region contains as much as 290 milligrams, 29 times the amount deemed safe by the Environmental Protection Agency. Given that prolonged exposure to nitrate can cause serious health problems, students cannot drink from the water fountains on campus, which are connected to an underground well. Instead, the state ships 76 five-gallon water bottles to campus biweekly, allowing students to drink from one of three jugs on campus. Campus staff, including the kitchen cook, use the same supply. The system has been in place since the late 1990s.
