Burgettstown still facing water woes

Burgettstown Area School District still is trying to determine why it’s middle/high school has rusty water.
Superintendent Deborah Jackson said this week that there’s a conflict between Pennsylvania American Water Co. and the district’s architect, Eckles Architecture and Engineering, about what and who is responsible for the problem.
The architects think it’s the responsibility of the water company because it increased water pressure to the building, while the water company feels there are problems with the new plumbing system that is part of the building’s recent renovation, she said Tuesday.
Students have been subjected to orange-colored water for two years, Jackson wrote in a recent letter to the water company. They shower in orange-colored water; the kitchen staff has to run the faucets for 15 to 20 minutes each time they use water for cooking to get clean water; washing machines leave clothing discolored; and science labs cannot use the water for experiments, she said.
Administrators and school board members recently met with representatives from both companies and the district decided to do more testing of the hot water system. The district is waiting for test results on valves in the hot water system, she said. Those results should be back in about a week. If the results are fine, Jackson said she will talk to the water company about what steps to take next.
She said the district is considering whether to put a filtering system on the input pipe coming into the school to determine if that solves the problem. The water company will not pay for that, she said.
The state Department of Environmental Protection has tested the water and said it does not represent a health problem, Jackson said. That statement was confirmed by a DEP spokeswoman.
Spokeswoman Katy Gresh said DEP sampling showed the middle/high school cafeteria water has 900 micrograms of iron per liter and the maintenance room has 2,400 micrograms of iron per liter. The standard is 300 micrograms per liter.
Gresh said there is not a health risk with the iron in the water. It’s simply an aesthetic issue, she said.
“Parents need not be concerned,” she said.
Water also was tested at the water main connection and had 53 micrograms per liter, she said. That means the problem is not with the water, Gresh said. She said the DEP suggested the district have the plumbing checked because the problem could be with the hot water recirculation.
Jackson said the water in the elementary school is fine. Gresh said the DEP also tested water in the elementary school and bus garage and the amount of iron was less than the standard.
Jackson sent a letter this summer to the water company detailing all the steps the district has taken to resolve the problem and again asking for the company’s help to resolve the issue.
The water company suggested flushing the water system occasionally to rid it of rusty water, but said it would not credit the district for water used in the flushing.
Jackson said the district tried that, but the water remained clear for just a few days.
In February, the district hired CEC Forensic Engineers to review the plumbing design, especially the hot water system. The company suggested redesigning the hot water tanks to drain off the rust to prevent it from flowing through the water system. That was completed in May. However, that did not resolve the problem, Jackson said.