However students at the school are still being asked to run some bubblers for 30 seconds before drinking water from them.

The revelation has prompted Goulburn Mulwaree Council to seek assurances that the water is safe for consumption. The flushing of bubblers, staff room taps and a water tank was recommended in 2020 after testing detected lead "approaching or above acceptable limits."

The testing, by consultants, Greencap, was undertaken in response to lead contamination in the nearby rail siding. However Greencap did not draw a conclusion about the contamination source.

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At Tuesday night's council meeting, Cr Jason Shepherd branded the flushing as "totally unacceptable."

"I don't think primary school students are going to have a timer. If they have to run the water for 30 seconds, obviously it's not safe," he said.

However the NSW Education Department says it is safe to drink, though it also distributes bottled water to children.

"The health, safety, and wellbeing of staff and students at Tarago Public School and the wider school community is our highest priority," a spokesperson said in a statement.

"That's why we asked independent hygienists to test the water bubblers at the school and they have advised the water is safe to drink.

"Out of an abundance of caution we've put extra measures in place such as bubbler flushing, and arranged for the water to be tested again in six months."

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Tarago and District Progress Association president Adrian Ellson raised the matter with the council and Goulburn MP Wendy Tuckerman. He said parents brought forward their concerns after the principal verbally advised them that some bubblers should be run before students drank from them.

"The Department said in 2020 that it was inappropriate to run taps for any length of time because children were unlikely to do it," he said.

"I strongly suspect that it is old pipes and they are trying to flush the lead out of them but we just don't know...If they have to run it for 30 seconds first, it's not safe...I've spoken to a few parents and they're not happy.

"If the lead is coming from the pipes then they should have been replaced by now. If it from the rail siding, Transport for NSW should have addressed it but they've done nothing."

Mr Ellson said the community had asked for the water testing results via Mrs Tuckerman and the council. He told The Post that people needed surety.

Mrs Tuckerman said she was following up the matter with respective Ministers and departments.

"I understand the community's concerns and am awaiting advice on the rationale for the bubbler instruction," she said in a statement.

She has also pursued a progress report on the rail siding remediation. It showed there had been "significant delays" in Transport for NSW' finalisation of a preferred option to remediate the lead in the rail corridor and surrounding properties.

It hopes to gain the necessary planning approvals by late 2022 and then take 18 months to complete remediation. The department apologised for the delays and for not keeping the community informed.

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The community will be update at Tarago Hall on August 25 at 5.30pm.

Mrs Tuckerman said Transport for NSW' contractor completed monthly inspections and was monitoring the site after rainfall above 10mm.

"This has confirmed that the controls in the project's interim action plan to mitigate the potential risks to people and the environment are working effectively," she said.

Meantime, the school issued a circular to parents this week. It reiterated that following lead testing in 2020, Greencap recommended that bubblers outside 'block F' be permanently capped and that flushing for other taps and bubblers be undertaken.

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But as a precaution, the Education department decided to take additional measures, such as capping all bubblers and supplying drinking water.

"On June 15, 2022, further water investigations were conducted by an independent hygienist, WSP, from internal and external bubblers and taps to assess potential contamination," the circular stated.

"All locations sampled returned results below the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (below 0.01 milligrams/litre) for lead and copper, indicating no significant aesthetic water quality impact. The independent hygienist, WSP, has advised the water in the bubblers at Tarago Public School is safe for consumption."

As a result, seals were removed from the bubblers, except those on Block F. While it "wasn't required," the school would continue to flush all portable water taps and bubblers for three minutes daily before students arrive at school, as a precaution. Signage outside Block A directing students to run the water for 30 seconds before each use, would remain in place.

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