originally posted on January 31, 2017

BUTLER, Pa. (AP) – A western Pennsylvania elementary school that closed for two days last week after high levels of lead were found in its water is closing for the rest of this week because of a new water contaminant: E. coli.

Butler Area School District officials closed Summit Elementary after Superintendent Dale Lumley acknowledged that high lead levels found in water tests in August hadn’t been rectified.

When the school closed down for more water tests, officials found E. coli in the untreated well water that’s purified before it’s used to supply the school. That’s why they’ve closed the school from Tuesday through Friday for more testing.

Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger has asked the state police to investigate whether district officials should be criminally liable for the earlier miscommunication about lead in the water.