Fox Chapel Area School District water to be retested today for legionella

Water at Fox Chapel Area School District will be retested today to determine if legionella found last month in the system is gone.

Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac said the district will know the results within three to 10 days.

“Though it is unlikely that our cold drinking water is affected, our students and employees have not been drinking the water in the schools where the levels were elevated,” she said.

The district’s water system was flushed in mid-August after testing revealed elevated levels of legionella at Fairview, Kerr and O’Hara elementaries, as well as at the high school.

Legionella is a bacteria that grows in fresh water, such as lakes, but can also sprout in systems of buildings that sit dormant for long periods.

“We raised the water temperature to 160 degrees, drained the water system through all outlets, faucets, and spigots, and then refilled and flushed the system again,” Reljac told families in an email.

The water was retested Aug. 24 and continued to show no legionella at Dorseyville Middle School and Hartwood Elementary, and also showed that flushing had rid the bacteria from the water at Fairview.

While the numbers “vastly improved” at the high school and O’Hara and Kerr elementaries, there were still some elevated levels, Reljac said.

The district is following recommendations by the Allegheny County Health Department to undergo another round of heating the water and flushing the system.

School officials said the health and safety of students is the highest priority and that the district will continue to follow the advice of experts.

The county health department’s guidance is that it is safe for students and staff to be in the buildings, Reljac said.

There could be another round of flushing, depending on the results, she said.

For now, high school students, and those at Kerr and O’Hara elementaries should continue to bring water from home. The buildings will also have an ample supply of bottled water, school leaders said.

There are no water restrictions at Dorseyville Middle School and Fairview and Hartwood elementary schools.