'Its difficult when you have test results that aren't at levels that you want them to be.'Tom Breth, South Butler School District solicitor

The number of contaminated water fixtures in South Butler School District buildings has dwindled to seven.

Gannett Fleming, the company that has tested and remedied the district's water fixture issues, released a report on its third round of testing.

The testing showed that seven water fixtures out of 268 contain unsafe levels of copper or lead. District solicitor Tom Breth said the board is “optimistic” that a fourth round of testing will show that the remaining contamination will be eliminated in the next four to six weeks.

“In light of what has occurred with other school districts in Western Pennsylvania, the board was extremely proactive in initiating the test protocol,” Breth said.

Initial testing was conducted because of “water quality issues facing public school districts in Pennsylvania,” according to a letter drafted by the district in July.

The first tests on all 268 drinking and food preparation water fixtures in the district resulted in 38 samples containing at or above 50 percent of the state Department of Environmental Protection's thresholds for lead and copper.

The 38 water fixtures that showed initial contamination, as well as an additional five that needed to be retested due to inadvertent errors during the first round of testing, were retested.

During the second round of testing, 21 fixtures were found to be contaminated.

Water fixtures that tested below 50 percent of the DEP's action level were cleared for use by the district.

The fixtures that failed testing were not used. Instead, water was brought into the classrooms.

Breth said the school district will have a protocol to test its water on a regular basis.

“It's difficult when you have test results that aren't at levels that you want them to be,” Breth said. “The approach that the board is taking is the best approach that can be taken in this situation.”