A situation like the one happening in Flint, Mich., where lead in public water has caused health issues, does not looking likely to happen in Butler County.

In 2014, a state-appointed emergency manager switched Flint from Detroit water to Flint River water to save money. The corrosive water from the Flint River caused lead to leach from old pipes.

Flint then returned to the Detroit system in October after elevated lead levels were discovered in children.

Officials there remain concerned that damaged pipes could continue to leach lead, which can cause behavior problems and learning disabilities in children as well as kidney ailments in adults.

In Butler County, some of the water companies and authorities take preventive measures and have low lead levels.

Pennsylvania American Water works with the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Protection to keep lead levels low.

Pennsylvania American serves about 18,100 customers in Butler County.

Josephine Posti, a company spokesman, said regulatory agencies require testing for lead and copper every three years. The last testing took place in 2013.

“The results of these tests were well within the compliance regulations,” Posti said in an e-mail.

The company does not have any lead pipes in its system. Posti said its lines and pipes are made of ductile iron — which has a thin layer of cement internally to keep the water separated from the metal — and concrete.

However, she said that some houses and other buildings may have old lead pipes, which can cause lead to be detected in water. Posti said the company has used a corrosion control system for 10 years to keep levels of chemicals like lead and copper low.

Paul Dickey, general manager of the Slippery Rock Municipal Authority, said a problem like Flint's is extremely unlikely with Slippery Rock customers.

“We don't have a lead problem at all,” Dickey said.

He said the DEP requires 20 samples of water every three years for testing.

“I'm pretty sure that we didn't even have a trace of lead,” Dickey said of recent test results.

Dickey said, as far as he knows, the authority has no lead piping. It does have some old cast iron piping, which can react to water if it is corrosive.

He said the authority raises the pH of its water and uses a corrosion inhibitor to avoid this. Dickey has worked at the authority for about 40 years, and he said it was using this process when he started.

Dickey said using this process creates a film in the pipes, which keeps the water away from the metal.

When replacing old pipes and lines, the authority installs ductile iron pipes as well as PVC pipes, he said. Both of these pipes are much less reactive with water.

The authority has 1,750 water connections, with Slippery Rock University among them. It serves customers in Slippery Rock and parts of the Slippery Rock Township.

Cranberry Township has a wastewater treatment plant, but does not have its own water treatment facility, said plant manager Mike Sedon.

Sedon said it buys its water from the West View Water Authority, which pumps the water north to customers in the township.

The township does not have lead pipes, but instead has ductile iron pipes with the cement layer keeping the water from the reactive metal.

Sedon said that West View may have some lead pipes, but lead is prevented from getting into the water because the authority uses a corrosion inhibitor.

The township's water is tested with the DEP for lead and copper every three years.

“We've never had any issues,” Sedon said.

The township has about 165 miles of water pipes, which services 9,500 customers. West View also serves Seven Fields and part of Adams Township.

At the Petroleum Valley Regional Water Authority, manager Brian Hohman said the system's pipes are made of PVC.

“That system is fairly new,” Hohman said.

The only lead pipes in the system would be in certain houses, he said.

The authority buys its water from East Brady. It does not use a corrosion inhibitor, but does add chlorine, Hohman said.

In 2013, DEP tested 10 water samples from Petroleum Valley and found only one sample with any lead, and it was well below the level where the DEP would require action. Hohman said the next testing of the system will take place this year.

The authority serves about 840 customers in the northeastern part of the county.