Testing of 196 water samples taken from the Butler School District's buildings found one water fixture with a high level of lead and 38 others that were at or just above the minimum-detectable amount for lead.

Acting Superintendent William Pettigrew said that these fixtures were taken out of service after the district learned the results. However, many of the fixtures will be replaced this summer and put back in service.

Other fixtures that are seldom used will be removed.

As a precaution, the district voluntarily had samples collected from all water fountains and high-use sinks that get water from Pennsylvania American Water Company tested for lead and copper. Engineering firm Gannett-Fleming collected the samples from fixtures, which had been left sitting stagnant overnight, to be sent away for testing in late February.

The state Department of Environmental Protection has “action levels” of 15 parts per billion for lead and 1,300 ppb for copper, though the school would not be required to notify the public and create an action plan unless more than 10 percent of samples were at or above those levels. Summit Township Elementary is the only school in the district with well water, which makes it the only school at which the DEP requires testing.

A drinking fountain in Room 11 at Center Avenue Community School had 1,510 parts per billion of copper and a water fixture in a conference room at the intermediate high school had 18 parts per billion of lead.

DEP does not specify a safe level of lead content in drinking water, nor does it order schools or other institutions to shut off water service for lead contamination, though it does provide guidelines for addressing contamination.

Fixtures that had at least 1 ppb of lead, but less than 15 ppb were found at the intermediate and senior high schools, McQuistion Elementary, Northwest Elementary and the administration building. The intermediate high school had 21 fixtures with between 1 and 18 ppb of lead.

Center Avenue Community School, Broad Street Elementary, Emily Brittain Elementary, Butler Middle School, Connoquenessing Elementary and Center Township Elementary all had no fixtures with detectable levels of lead.

In a letter to assistant superintendent Brian Slamecka, which was dated April 4 and posted to the district's website, Gannett Fleming Vice President Daniel Goncz recommended that the district remove, clean and reinstall any screens or aerators at the affected water fixtures before testing for lead levels a second time.

If those fixtures fail a second test, then Goncz recommended replacing the entire fixture.

The lead and copper levels found from all 196 fixtures are available on the district's website.

Summit Township Elementary, as shown by multiple rounds of tests earlier this year, has levels of lead and copper well above the DEP action levels. That school remains closed until the district resolves the water issues there.

At a public meeting in February, engineers said that the water from the Summit school's well was too acidic and was corroding the lead solder in the school's plumbing.

The American Water Works Association encourages a strategy of removing all lead plumbing fixtures that are in contact with water, Goncz said in the letter.

Lead pipes and soldering were banned in the United States in 1987.