Charges Related To High Lead Levels In Drinking Water Filed Against Butler Area School District Employee

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BUTLER, Pa. (KDKA) -- Criminal charges were filed regarding the excessively high lead levels in the drinking water at Summit Elementary School.

The Butler County District Attorney's Office and Pennsylvania State Police have been investigating this case for some time. On Friday, they filed charges against Glenn Terwilliger, who is the Director of Buildings and Grounds for the Butler Area School District.

In the complaint, Terwilliger is accused of endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person. He was the District's Certified Water Operator during August of 2016. At that time, police said five drinking water samples were taken from four classrooms and the school library and sent to a lab for testing. Four of them exceeded the limit for lead.

Police said Terwilliger called the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and discussed the test results with a supervisor there. Afterward, officials said Terwillinger was emailed with instructions on actions required by law that must be taken when there's a lead exceedance.

The Pennsylvania Lead and Copper Rule requires the district develop and deliver a public education program and materials within 60 days of the monitoring period. Investigators say this was never done by Terwilliger.

Terwilliger has been an employee of the Butler Area School District for 35 years. Both of the charges are misdemeanor offenses. Terwilliger is being charged by way of summons, not by arrest.